Växjö may become the Climate City of the Year 2020

WWF's One Planet City Challenge has been around since 2011 and is the world's largest and longest-running city challenge. The cities report their climate work on a platform that is then judged by an international jury with expertise in areas such as urban planning, transport, climate adaptation and energy systems.

– It is hilarious that Växjö is nominated as the finalist to become the climate city of the year, and that we are fighting for the title with two other successful municipalities - Helsingborg and Uppsala, says Anna Tenje (M), chair of the local council in Växjö municipality.

In its nomination, WWF chooses to highlight that Växjö, as one of the first municipalities in the world, has set the goal of becoming fossil-free in 2030, that the climate issue is central to the municipality and that Växjö invests heavily in energy-efficient buildings when renovating old houses and new buildings.

– This is again a confirmation that Växjö's climate goals and results are ambitious and can also give us more power to continue the important climate work, says Magnus P Wåhlin, (MP), chairman of the sustainability committee.

In May, Sweden's winner will be selected and in the autumn a global winner will be chosen. Two years ago, Uppsala won the title of "Climate City of the World".

– The municipalities are key players in order for us to have ecologically sustainable and climate-smart communities. Through the One Planet City Challenge, WWF wants to inspire and support sustainable cities that contribute to the transition and deliver their part of the Paris agreement. By going ahead, cities play a key role in climate change and their actions can strengthen national commitments, says Håkan Wirtén, secretary general of WWF.