With 1,909 members in 27 European countries, Climate Alliance is Europe’s largest city network dedicated to comprehensive and equitable climate action. The association supports its members through the European Secretariat and six National Coordination Offices.
Climate Alliance members are leaders in fighting the climate crisis. For over 30 years, member municipalities have been working in partnership with indigenous peoples to protect the global climate. Each member commits to continuously cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote climate justice. Members drive climate action locally, supported by the network’s guidance, tools and campaigns, and through projects with one another and the Secretariat. Pan-European working groups on buildings, financing and adaptation, as well as numerous events, such as the annual Climate Alliance International Conference, create spaces of inspiration and dialogue.
“Climate Alliance has pursued a comprehensive approach to climate action for more than 30 years. As a network, we pair local climate action with global climate justice using our five principles as a compass for climate activities that are fair, nature-based, local, resource-saving and diverse. The local level is crucial when it comes to curbing the global climate crisis. As the level of government closest to the people, cities and towns can use their influence to initiate changes on the ground. Our network thus aims to empower municipalities, raise awareness of their role, and support them in their daily work. At the same time, we know that our behaviour in Europe impacts the livelihoods of people the world over. This is why our network has been working alongside our indigenous partners of the Amazon Basin for over three decades, supporting them in fighting for their rights and their territories. Through the lens of climate justice, we can fight global heating and work towards a better life for all.”
ANDREAS WOLTER, CLIMATE ALLIANCE PRESIDENT AND MAYOR OF THE CITY OF COLOGNE, GERMANY
PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES
Each municipality in the Alliance has passed a local resolution on membership that embraces the association’s goals. These are to:
• Strive for a 95% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 compared to 1990 levels, in line with IPCC recommendations.
• Implement effective and comprehensive climate action in accordance with Climate Alliance principles: action must be fair, nature-based, local, resource-saving and diverse.
• Promote climate justice together with indigenous peoples by supporting their rights, protecting biodiversity, and abstaining from use of unsustainably managed timber.
While it is good to have goals, the path taken to achieve them is at least as important. Climate Alliance attaches importance to how climate action is done. The Climate Alliance Member Charter, adopted in 2021, identifies relevant fields of action and shows how equitable and comprehensive climate action can be achieved at local level, for example by improving energy efficiency and addressing energy poverty.
KEY PROJECTS
Climate Alliance is involved in a wide range of activities both with and for its members.
Project Work. Activities focus on buildings, energy poverty, nature-based solutions, climate justice, CO2 pricing, and energy communities. Projects involve organizations and municipalities throughout Europe and beyond.
Campaigns. The Climate Alliance provides ready-made campaigns for municipal use. Every year, City Cycling invites citizens and their city councils to cycle for the climate, while Green Footprints motivates children to make sustainable choices. Most recently, the Energy Caravan helps cities and towns drive deep renovation.
Advocacy efforts. The Climate Alliance voices municipal needs at national and European level, working to improve conditions for cities and towns in the field of climate action. A driving force behind the Covenant of Mayors, Climate Alliance has helped shape how the EU addresses and supports municipal climate action.
Tools. The Climate Alliance provides tools that support cities and towns to implement their climate strategies. Tools include the Climate Protection Planner for emissions inventories, the Climate Compass for mapping local climate action, and RADar! for improving local cycling networks.
The field of climate action is awash with goals and targets at every level, but concrete action must take place locally if we are to achieve the aspirations of EU policy makers. Municipalities hold the key to implementing change on the ground.
Just as global heating is not an isolated challenge, our actions to curb it do not exist in a vacuum. It is critical to remember the bigger picture, which is shaped by global interdependencies.
In this light, Climate Alliance pairs local action with global responsibility, working towards a truly just and sustainable transition.
Executive Management: Thomas Brose