Herlev Kommune has set an ambitious target to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 80 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and achieve climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest (p. 2). As a compact urban municipality of just 12 km2 centrally located in the capital region, Herlev is in a unique position where it can both contribute significantly to the green transition and at the same time benefit from the added value that sustainable development brings. In 2018, Herlev Kommune emitted a total of 127,315 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to 4.46 tonnes per capita - significantly lower than the national average of 8.3 tonnes per Dane (pp. 12-13). Emissions are distributed with the energy sector as by far the largest source at 75 percent of emissions, followed by transport at 19.5 percent. The remaining emissions come from chemical processes, landfill waste and a minimal share from agriculture, reflecting Herlev's character as an urban municipality without agricultural activities. What makes Herlev's climate challenge particularly complex is the municipality's role as a natural traffic hub, where a full 57 percent of road traffic consists of through-traffic via the Motorring 03 and Ring 04 motorways (p. 62). At the same time, the municipality houses Herlev Hospital as one of the capital region's largest workplaces with over 5,000 employees, creating significant energy consumption and considerable transport needs. The dense urban structure with 56 percent social housing provides both opportunities and challenges for collective energy supply. The municipality's strategy is built on three decisive transitions. The first and most significant is the comprehensive district heating expansion, where all of the municipality's approximately 4,000 oil and natural gas customers are to be converted to district heating by 2028 at the latest, combined with making district heating from Vestforbrænding CO2-neutral by 2030 (pp. 37-38). The second central effort involves electrifying transport, where the target is for 30 percent of passenger cars to be electric or zero-emission vehicles by 2030, supported by the establishment of Hovedstadens Letbane with four stops in Herlev (p. 65). The third major investment is climate adaptation through the Harrestrup Å capacity project with eight concrete sub-projects in the period 2019-2038 to address the growing challenges of cloudbursts and flooding. Despite the ambitious plans, the municipality's own calculations show that there will still be a shortfall of 8,500 tonnes of CO2 in 2050, even if all planned measures are fully implemented (p. 150). The greatest challenges lie within heavy transport and some industrial processes, where fully developed technological solutions do not yet exist. Furthermore, the management of high groundwater in the Business, Music and Adventure neighbourhoods requires particularly innovative solutions, which the municipality is investigating in collaboration with HOFOR and Vestforbrænding. Central to the plan's success is the extensive collaboration with local stakeholders through the Committee for Climate Action Plan, where KAB, DAB, HOFOR, Vestforbrænding and Region Hovedstaden participate as key partners (pp. 7-8). Citizens are involved through the annual climate festival during Herlev Festuge, local projects such as 'Herlev Redder Maden' and the establishment of green change ambassadors among the municipality's employees. With this broad anchoring and concrete action plan, Herlev Kommune is well equipped to contribute to the green transition, even though the path to climate neutrality requires sustained focus and new innovative solutions.

Source: Klimahandleplan 2050 - Vejen til et grønnere og mere bæredygtigt Herlev (2022)