Kommunalt klimatarbete
Jämförande studie mellan tre kommuner med avseende på drivkrafter och framgångsfaktorer
Municipal climate work success factors driving forces government authoritiesKommunalt klimatarbete framgångsfaktorer drivkrafter statliga myndigheter
The crucial factor for successful municipal climate work is that there are driving forces. Most importantly is that the senior officials and politicians in the municipality are dedicated to the cause considering that they have the power to influence and make a change. Besides proactive and committed individuals, it is necessary that the work is organized and anchored by clear and concrete documents and control systems. It is also important that the work is continuously monitored and evaluated. To collaborate with other municipalities, authorities or participate in various networks is another factor contributing to the improved climate work in the form of exchange of information, knowledge and experience.A major driving force for municipalities to improve themselves is the distribution of state aid and grants. Being able to measure and compare themselves with other municipalities is also important because it encourages and motivates further efforts. One problem today is that there are no clear definitions and guidelines for a completely objective assessment of the climate work.According to the UN's climate panel, global emissions of greenhouse gases must be reduced with several percent to prevent global temperature increases from causing catastrophic and irreversible consequences. The greatest hope is placed on technology and development including better and more efficient engines and fuel. A transfer between transport modes, for example, from road and air to rail plays another big part. Swedish studies also show that efficient transport planning and changing behavior is of great significance for achieving the national vision. Municipalities have a great responsibility considering they transfer the overall goals into local action plans.The report examines the climate work of the three municipalities; Örebro, Eskilstuna and Östersund. The aim is to study the factors and driving forces behind a successful climate work. The goal is to contribute to a greater understanding of the local participants. A sidetrack of the report was to highlight how municipalities relate to government authorities. One result of this was a desire for better collaboration, in this case between the Transport Administration, the Sweden Energy Agency, the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, but also towards the municipalities themselves. Instead of handing out manuals and guidelines the government authorities should take on a coordination role and help the municipalities to build a sustainable structure of their climate work.Municipalities in this report were selected because it is suggested that they conduct a both active and successful climate work. The scrutiny was done with focus on organization and arrangements and interviews with responsible municipal officials have been implemented. Despite differences in the municipal organizational model they are still very similar in terms of centralization of climate work permeated with great commitment, clarity and sustainability.