Newcastle bids to become climate-neutral and smart city

Newcastle City Council has submitted a bid to the European Commission for the city to become one of its 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030.

The chosen cities will become innovation hubs and act as leading examples for all other European cities to follow by 2050 in the transition towards climate neutrality.

The benefits of Newcastle becoming a climate-neutral and smart city include: unlocking additional funding through EU programmes; opportunities for cities to be part of large innovation actions and pilot projects; support through a national coordination network; learning from and exchanging experiences with other cities; and involving residents and local communities in climate neutral solutions.

In November, Newcastle retained its status as one of the world's climate leaders for its ongoing efforts to achieve net zero by 2030, one of only 11 places in the UK to receive the top A grade from CDP and one of only 95 globally. More recently, Newcastle City Council was ranked the 4th best single tier authority and 7th out of all 409 local authorities in the country for its climate action plan, following analysis by Climate Emergency UK.

Nick Forbes, leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “This is a huge opportunity for our city and shows our ambition to continue to play a leading role in tackling the climate emergency. Becoming a climate-neutral and smart city would help us build on the vast amount of good work we have achieved already, while enabling us to learn from and share our experiences with other major European cities and create new funding opportunities.

“The challenge we are facing around climate change is at the heart of everything we do, which is why I’m incredibly proud of the innovative work we have done to rapidly reduce emissions and create greener, healthier and more sustainable futures for everyone.”