Randers Kommune stands at a climate turning point where ambitious targets meet the harsh reality of a municipality characterised by agriculture, transport, and industry. As one of the first 20 Danish municipalities in the DK2020 project, Randers has committed to becoming climate-neutral by 2050 at the latest, with a bold interim target of 70 percent greenhouse gas reduction as early as 2030 compared to 1990 (p. 9). This is a target that requires a completely different approach than before, as the challenge has grown significantly since the municipality's last climate plan. The updated inventory of the municipality's greenhouse gas emissions reveals a more complex picture than previously assumed. Where emissions were estimated at around 505,000 tonnes annually in 2017, new calculations show that 727,410 tonnes of CO2 equivalents were actually emitted in 2018 (p. 9). This 44 percent increase is not due to a worsening but rather to more precise mapping, where emissions from livestock and land use are now included. Agriculture and land use together account for 49 percent of total emissions, while transport accounts for 36 percent (p. 21). This places Randers in a special situation compared to other Danish municipalities, where these sectors constitute a smaller share. Randers Kommune's industrial history and geographic location provide both particular challenges and unique opportunities. After the closure of Scandia in 2017, the area is no longer dominated by heavy industry, but the plastics, glass, and concrete industry still employs about one-fifth of industrial workers (p. 24). At the same time, 37 percent of the municipality's workforce commutes to jobs in other municipalities, primarily Aarhus (p. 22), creating a significant transport footprint. On the positive side, the municipality has already reaped major gains from VERDO's transition from coal to biomass, which alone reduces emissions by an estimated 200,000 tonnes of CO2 annually (p. 23). The climate plan's most notable initiatives concentrate on the areas with the highest emissions. Afforestation is central, with the goal of establishing 3,000 hectares of new forest by 2030, which will sequester 37,500 tonnes of CO2 annually (p. 10). This requires a tripling of the current planting rate and a municipal investment in a forestry fund of DKK 5.5 million annually (p. 49). In transport, there is a major focus on electrification, with the target that 25 percent of all passenger cars should be electric by 2030 (p. 10), supported by an ambitious expansion of charging infrastructure. Finally, all combined heat and power plants are to be fully fossil-free by 2030, with biomass seen as a transitional solution toward electrification of the heat supply (p. 55). The greatest challenge, however, is the plan's evident shortfall. Even if all measures are realised, Randers will only achieve a 60 percent reduction by 2030 rather than the necessary 70 percent, with a deficit of 152,000 tonnes of CO2 (p. 36). By 2050, 309,000 tonnes are still missing to reach climate neutrality. Agriculture and land use account for 53 percent of this shortfall, transport for 39 percent (p. 37). The municipality honestly acknowledges that it can only get halfway with today's technologies and instruments, and that there is a need for technological breakthroughs such as Power-to-X and strengthened national legislation. Collaboration and partnerships have therefore become the plan's backbone rather than municipal solo efforts. Klimaligaen serves as an umbrella for a broad range of local actors - from Danish Crown and Arla to agricultural organisations and citizen initiatives (p. 7). Through cross-cutting task forces and structured dialogue with the business community, the municipality seeks to mobilise the resources and innovation that can only be created collectively. In this way, Klimaplan 2050 becomes not merely a municipal action plan but a catalyst for a regional green movement, where Randers uses its position as a hub in East Jutland to unite forces around the shared climate challenge.

Source: Klimaplan 2050 (2021)