Vila Nova de Famalicão has the ambition to integrate a network of 100 European cities carbon neutral by 2030. For now, Famalicão is one of the seven Portuguese municipalities that were challenged by the Centre for Engineering and Development - CEIIA to join the Be.Neutral Agenda, with the aim of accelerating the transition to carbon neutrality in Portugal.
Besides Vila Nova de Famalicão, this project includes Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, Matosinhos, Guimarães, Braga and Viana do Castelo, which in collaboration with CEIIA are preparing an application to the Climate Neutral & Smart Cities Mission, with which the European Commission wants to accelerate the goals of carbon neutrality of 100 cities in the European Union.
It was precisely in the scope of this project that the Mayor of Vila Nova de Famalicão, Mário Passos, participated this Wednesday in the debate "Decarbonising Cities - redesigning the urban landscape with data science", promoted in the scope of Portugal Mobi Summit 2021, organised by CEIIA, which is taking place in Cascais.
The efficient public transport, the forestation of the territory and the replacement of individual vehicles with combustion engines by soft transport means were some of the measures put forward by the mayor that are being implemented in the county, aiming at the goal of carbon neutrality from mobility.
The partnership agreement between the municipalities and CEIIA was signed last September and also provides for the submission of applications for funding, aiming at signing programme contracts with the consortiums that will promote the selected initiatives.
Europe and Portugal have committed to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030, with a view to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Cities contribute 75% to carbon emissions and 70% to global energy consumption in an era of increasing urbanisation. For this reason, cities are key players in the process of combating climate change, having the capacity to implement innovative urban solutions. Thus, cities can have the ambition to anticipate European and national targets on carbon neutrality, one of the missions of the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme being precisely the creation of a network of 100 European carbon neutral cities by 2030.