With its Climate Plan 2050, Albertslund Municipality has presented an ambitious roadmap to become a climate-neutral and climate-adapted municipality. The plan builds on the municipality's longstanding tradition as a pioneer in sustainability and sets concrete milestones: CO2-neutral heat supply by 2025, CO2-neutral electricity supply by 2030, and a fully climate-neutral transport sector by 2050. Through the DK2020 collaboration with C40 and Gate 21, Albertslund has committed to meeting the Paris Agreement standards at the local level. Albertslund's emissions profile is characterised by two dominant sectors. Transport accounts for a full 50% of total emissions, while the energy sector makes up 44%. Agriculture, industry and waste together account for only 6%, reflecting the municipality's character as a densely built suburban municipality in Copenhagen's western outskirts. The heavy through-traffic on major arterial roads is a particular challenge, as the municipality has limited influence over this portion of emissions. What makes Albertslund unique in a climate context is the combination of a municipally owned district heating plant and an unusually high proportion of green areas covering 60% of the municipality's land. As an inland municipality with no direct drainage to the sea, all cloudburst water must be managed locally, making climate adaptation a core task. The municipality is also home to DOLL, an internationally recognised Living Lab for intelligent lighting and Smart City solutions, providing unique opportunities to test new technologies. Among the most notable measures in the plan is the introduction of low-temperature district heating in 2026, where Albertslund Forsyning will lower the temperature in the district heating network to 60 degrees. This halves heat loss in the pipes and enables integration of renewable energy sources such as heat pumps and solar heating. Another flagship project is Hyldager Bakker, a multifunctional noise barrier with 500,000 new trees that combines motorway noise protection with afforestation, CO2 sequestration and recreational value for citizens. Despite the ambitious goals, there are challenges for which the plan does not yet have complete solutions. A shortfall of approximately 20,000 tonnes of CO2e remains in 2050, primarily stemming from heavy transport and aviation, where technology is not yet mature. The municipality acknowledges that these challenges require national framework conditions and technological development that lie beyond local control. Citizen engagement is deeply embedded in Albertslund's climate work. Agenda Center Albertslund serves as the municipality's green link to citizens, while light ambassadors in homeowner associations and environmental representatives in municipal units ensure that the green transition reaches into everyday life. Repair cafés, car-sharing schemes and the dedicated website 60grader.albertslund for energy advice are concrete examples of how the municipality makes climate action accessible to all citizens.

Source: Klimaplan 2050 (2020)