Climate Alliance is the largest European city network dedicated to fair and comprehensive climate action. Through the Climate Alliance, nearly 2,000 member municipalities and districts covering more than 25 European countries as well as a variety of regional governments, NGOs and other organisations are actively working to combat climate change. Our members, ranging from small rural towns to cities with populations in the millions, accept climate change as a global challenge that requires local solutions.
Climate Alliance was founded in 1990 when a group of 33 institutions comprised of 12 municipalities from Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as 6 indigenous organisations of the Amazon Basin met in Frankfurt, Germany, motivated take action against the climatic changes taking place.
Climate Alliance members have committed themselves to the continuous reduction of their greenhouse gas emissions. Through the Climate Alliance Member Charter, they aim to achieve CO2 emission reductions of at least 95% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels – an aim in line with both EU climate goals and Paris Agreement reduction targets. Remaining emissions can be offset through local projects and local sinks, for example, via agriculture and forestry. Climate Alliance cities undertake a wide array of measures to close this emissions gap, mostly focusing on a mix of energy conservation, energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies. The network has identified concrete recommendations for municipal climate action its Member Charter.
Climate Alliance network has strong roots in the German speaking world, but its principles have drawn interest from municipalities across Europe from the very beginning. The Alliance now boasts representatives from almost all EU countries and has seen the opening of National Coordination offices to help support members in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg and Hungary.
Climate Alliance thus stands behind climate action that is:
FAIR
Climate action must be just. It should promote the wellbeing of all the world’s peoples, regardless of culture, beliefs, gender, location, or socio-economic status, in harmony with the natural world.
NATURE-BASED
Climate action cannot be based on extraction and depletion. Instead, it must replenish and regenerate, contributing to sustainable, closed-loop systems that bring the needs of society into harmony with nature.
LOCAL
A city’s sphere of influence is local by nature. By further concentrating on the local sourcing of goods and energy as part of climate policy, cities can boost their resilience to crises and add value to their own economies.
RESOURCE-SAVING
Climate action measures in Climate Alliance member municipalities must lead to the use of fewer resources, not use more of them. This means a focus on both resource efficiency (doing more with less) and resource conservation (using less to begin with).
DIVERSE
There is strength in diversity. Each town, city and district is unique. Making optimal use of the differences means that individual climate solutions and their implementation will vary from place to place. There is no one size fits all answer.
In this way Climate Alliance cities and towns are squarely focused on taking a holistic and truly sustainable approach to climate change.