COMET – Espoo Climate Community (2024 - 2026)
The Espoo Climate Community (COMET) project engages the entire Espoo community in exploring ways to achieve climate neutrality. The measures focus on the three sectors that produce the most greenhouse gas emissions: energy, transport and construction. The project aims to strengthen partnerships and explore new ways to achieve the shared climate goal through means such as promoting climate-resilient investments, fostering cross-sector collaboration and increasing opportunities for residents to participate in climate efforts. The project is funded by the EU’s Pilot Cities Programme, which is part of the EU’s climate mission.
In spring 2024, the European Commission awarded Espoo’s Climate City Contract the EU Mission Label. It is a recognition of the community’s broad commitment to climate work and strengthens Espoo’s position as a pioneer of the green transition among European cities. Pilot Cities is a learning and piloting programme targeted at cities selected for the EU’s climate mission, where cities and their partners seek systemic solutions to climate challenges.
To mitigate climate change and achieve Espoo’s climate neutrality goal by 2030, the entire society and urban community must be engaged. The Climate-neutral Espoo 2030 roadmap describes the cooperation and concrete measures carried out by the City of Espoo and its partners and residents to achieve the climate neutrality goal. Change requires bold and innovative measures, as well as a new mindset that emphasises collaboration and a fair transition. In Espoo, as in other cities, this work requires the participation of everyone – businesses, communities and residents alike – and the project supports this.
The project runs from 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2026.
The project is carried out by the City of Espoo and the Climate Leadership Coalition (CLC).
Towards climate neutrality with climate partners
The project focuses on developing Espoo’s climate partner cooperation. The goal is to create a co-creation model together with the city’s 25 climate partners. This cooperation model is open and iterative and based on shared objectives to reduce the climate footprint, improve the climate handprint, and promote the climate heartprint, thereby achieving meaningful change. It also enables the formation of new partnerships and learning throughout the process.
Together with partners, the project refines the details of the Climate-neutral Espoo 2030 roadmap, focusing on energy, transport and construction themes. These refinements will provide a deeper insight into the required measures, their timing, relevant networks and the roles of different stakeholders.
Creating understanding and promoting climate investments
Through the development of partner cooperation, the project also aims to create a more profound understanding of the barriers of and opportunities for climate investments in Espoo. Recognising the city’s role as an enabler and catalyst for private sector investments as well as a market shaper through public procurement and investments is a key element of this work. The project focuses on measures that address both Espoo’s climate footprint, i.e. reducing emissions locally, and climate handprint, i.e. developing solutions to reduce emissions elsewhere. It also aims to strengthen the knowledge base for climate work, enabling more impactful and cost-effective implementation.
Increasing resident participation
Residents play a significant role in reducing emissions and achieving climate neutrality. The project aims to increase residents’ involvement in climate work and enhance their understanding of its importance. The aim is to provide more opportunities for resident participation. Special attention is given to addressing the specific needs of vulnerable groups. Experiments will be planned and implemented in cooperation with existing platforms, civil society actors, businesses and other climate partners.
If you are interested, please contact us:
Karoliina Isoaho (karoliina.isoaho@espoo.fi) ja Senni Raunio (senni.raunio@clc.fi)