With its political approval of the climate plan in September 2022, Aabenraa Municipality has set an ambitious course towards a climate-resilient and climate-neutral future by 2050 at the latest (p. 4, 20). This ambition is not merely a response to national targets but is deeply rooted in a desire to create 'the good life' and ensure sustainable development that benefits both citizens and businesses in the local area (p. 4). For Aabenraa, climate action is inseparable from the municipality's identity as a green hub in the border region, where water is seen as a resource rather than merely a threat (p. 15, 25). The foundation for this effort is a detailed accounting of the municipality's current emissions, which in 2019 totalled 959,966 tonnes of CO2e (p. 33). The distribution of these emissions reveals a distinct local profile, where agriculture is by far the largest emitter at 616,892 tonnes of CO2e, accounting for a full 64% of total emissions (p. 34, 35). This is followed by the transport sector at 172,682 tonnes of CO2e (18%) and the energy sector at 121,037 tonnes of CO2e (13%) (p. 34, 36, 37). What truly makes Aabenraa Municipality's climate challenge distinct is the combination of its geography and business structure. The municipality is characterised by large areas of organic soils (lowland soils), which alone account for 24% of total emissions (p. 35). At the same time, the coastal location by Aabenraa Fjord and the many watercourses running through the town of Aabenraa make the area particularly vulnerable to flooding from seawater, precipitation and rising groundwater (p. 23, 46). Historically, the town has been designated as one of Denmark's 14 risk areas under the EU Floods Directive, requiring an extraordinary effort in climate adaptation (p. 23). To address these challenges, the municipality has identified several key focus areas. One of the most significant is the retirement of approximately 2,000 hectares of agricultural land for solar panel installations, which is expected to provide CO2-neutral electricity for the entire municipality by 2030 and reduce emissions by approximately 115,000 tonnes of CO2e (p. 39, 40). Another flagship project is the large bio-natural gas plant (SBS Kliplev), which together with local biogas plants contributes significantly to the national conversion of the natural gas grid (p. 40). In climate adaptation, the establishment of a pump-sluice project at the outlet of Slotsmølleåen is a critical measure to protect the town of Aabenraa from flooding (p. 63). Despite these comprehensive plans, the municipality honestly acknowledges that the currently known measures are not sufficient to close the gap entirely. A shortfall of 6% relative to the 2030 target and 20% relative to the 2050 target has been identified (p. 44). Particularly in agriculture and transport, there is a dependence on technological maturation and national framework conditions, requiring continued focus on innovation and new solutions such as Power-to-X and pyrolysis (p. 42, 60, 79). Community involvement is a cornerstone of the plan. Through the 'Share Your Idea' campaign, over 200 proposals have been collected from citizens, and close collaborations have been established with key actors such as agricultural associations, Padborg Transport Centre and Business Aabenraa (p. 5, 8). The municipality has also established a Youth Climate Council to ensure that the next generation has a direct voice in the democratic process around future climate solutions (p. 21).

Source: Climate Action Planning Framework - Aabenraa Kommune (2022)