The “Greenest City” can achieve more! An example of a successful Sustainable Energy Action Plan from Växjö, Sweden

Author: Katrin JULLIEN, come2CoM Project Coordinator (2010-11), Germany / Meike LÖHR, come2CoM Project Coordinator (2011-2012), Beratungs- und Service-Gesellschaft Umwelt mbH, Germany - Email

Promoting the Covenant of Mayors by offering support in developing a Sustainable Energy Action Plan is the core of the come2CoM project. In an interview with come2CoM, Henrik Johansson, the Environmental Controller from Växjö, Sweden shows the importance of Energy Action Plan in the fight against climate change.

Växjö “Europe’s Greenest City”. Photograph used with permission from Henrik Josephson, City of Växjö

come2Com: A lot of successful work to reduce CO₂ emissions has already been done in Växjö. Why did the “greenest city in Europe” sign up to the CoM and set up a Sustainable Energy Action Plan in addition to its other energy saving programmes?

Henrik Johansson: The idea behind the CoM is that local authorities show that they are willing to go further than the EU’s climate target. And even if Växjö has already done this, we still think that it is important to show that a 20 % reduction is not enough, and that it is possible to go so much further on a local level. Regarding the SEAP, we thought that you should not invent new things all the time. In 2007, we appointed a local climate commission in Växjö, to find out what needed to be done to meet the local targets. The commission’s final report was used as our SEAP. Next year we will work on a new energy plan for Växjö, which can replace our current SEAP when it is ready.

Växjö. Photograph reproduced with permission from Henrik Josephson, City of Växjö

come2Com: The involvement of stakeholders is considered key to implementing a SEAP. Which stakeholders were involved in your SEAP and how?

Henrik Johansson: Our SEAP was developed over a long period of time and is part of the Fossil Fuel Free Växjö programme. When the programme was established in the 90s, the involvement of politicians, companies, authorities, NGOs, the university and citizens was crucial. This multi-stakeholder involvement was achieved through seminars, roundtables etc. The local climate commission consisted of staff from the municipality and the energy company, energy agency of Southeast Sweden, university and local companies. Many meetings were held where experts shared their knowledge.

come2Com: It looks likely that Växjö will be a Fossil Fuel Free City by 2050. It is hard to achieve significant CO₂ reductions in the transport sector. Which actions and key measures are planned in this sector?

Henrik Johansson: The target for Växjö is now planning to become a Fossil Fuel Free City by 2030. It is tough - 80 % of all emissions in Växjö come from transport and machinery, while the rest is from energy. Since the energy sector is locally based, it has been easier to achieve good results, but for transport, we are dependent on global developments to a larger extent. The municipality cannot decide which kind of vehicles or fuels can be used. However, we can encourage good choices, for example, making it easier for people to travel by bike. From 2012, we will start collecting biological household waste to use in biogas production. The biogas will then be used in city and private buses. This will, however, only reduce the CO₂ emissions per capita by 1-2 %. So, at a local level we must work on changing attitudes and behaviour but we also need help from the government and the EU for legislation. It’s an ambitious target to reach by 2030, but things can change dramatically in just a few years.

CO₂ emissions and economic growth in Växjö