Lolland Kommune has for decades been a Danish frontrunner in the green transition, and with the new climate and energy plan 2020-2050, the municipality sets even more ambitious targets. As one of the first DK2020 municipalities in Denmark, Lolland commits to reducing CO2 emissions by 70 percent from 1990 to 2030 and becoming fully climate-neutral by 2050. This is not merely a symbolic pledge -- it is a necessity for a municipality that is already feeling the consequences of climate change through rising water levels and more powerful storms. In 2017, Lolland Kommune emitted a total of 299,000 tonnes of CO2, distributed across three main sectors: agriculture (37%), energy (31%) and transport (28%) (p. 9). This distribution reflects the municipality's distinctive character as an agricultural municipality with 77 percent agricultural land and simultaneously as an energy producer that already today produces 2.5 times more green electricity than the municipality itself consumes. The flat, low-lying landscape with 68 kilometres of protective dikes makes Lolland one of Denmark's most vulnerable municipalities for flooding -- a challenge that will only grow with climate change. What makes Lolland's climate challenge unique compared to other Danish municipalities is the combination of agriculture's large CO2 emissions, the extreme vulnerability to sea level rise, and paradoxically the municipality's already strong position as a green energy producer. Since 1991, when the world's first offshore wind turbines were installed at Vindeby, Lolland has built an impressive portfolio of renewable energy. At the same time, projects such as the hydrogen village Vestenskov and Floating Power Plant technology have demonstrated the municipality's willingness to test new green solutions at full scale. The most decisive measures in the plan focus on three areas. First, the new gas pipeline to Lolland combined with the establishment of two biogas plants will make it possible for Nordic Sugar's factories to switch from coal and oil to climate-friendly biogas. Second, the approximately 4,000 remaining oil boilers in homes are to be replaced with heat pumps through targeted campaigns and advice. Third, Nakskov town is to be protected against future storm surges through the establishment of a storm surge gate at the harbour entrance -- an investment that is critically necessary to protect the town's assets. The plan's greatest challenge is also its most honest acknowledgement: even with all planned measures, there will still be CO2 emissions of 120,000 tonnes in 2050, of which 70 percent come from agriculture (p. 15). The municipality openly acknowledges that it has limited influence on the agricultural sector's development, which is primarily regulated through European and national measures. This gap between ambition and realistic action possibilities requires continued innovative solutions and not least changed national framework conditions. To engage citizens and local businesses, the municipality relies on concrete partnerships such as REn Energi Lolland (REEL) and the Greater BIO project, which brings together municipalities, universities and businesses around practical solutions. Citizens are involved through public meetings on climate adaptation, energy advice via a dedicated call centre, and stakeholder groups that bring together all those directly affected by flood risk. The municipality will also expand its role as Klimakommune Plus, which entails stricter requirements for its own procurement and investments -- a concrete way of leading by example.

Source: Klima- og energiplan 2020-2050 (2021)