Skanderborg Kommune has set ambitious climate targets aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by 2030 and achieve complete climate neutrality by 2050. This climate plan, which matches the Paris Agreement targets, has been developed in close collaboration with local stakeholders from agriculture, utility companies, businesses, and local communities. The municipality is part of the DK2020 climate community together with 95 other Danish municipalities, providing the opportunity to draw on shared experiences in the green transition. In 2018, Skanderborg Kommune emitted 417,000 tonnes of CO2e, equivalent to seven tonnes per inhabitant (p. 6). Transport accounts for the largest share at 40 percent of emissions, with private car use responsible for just over half. The energy sector comprises 34 percent, primarily from electricity produced from fossil energy sources and oil and natural gas boilers. Agriculture and land use contribute 21 percent, while the remaining 5 percent comes from waste and wastewater (pp. 6-7). The municipality actually falls below the average compared to other municipalities in Region Midt, providing a good starting point for further efforts. The Skanderborg area has some distinctive characteristics that affect the climate work. The municipality ranks in the top 4 among Danish municipalities for car ownership, and a full 30 percent of families have two or more cars (p. 15). This makes the transport sector a particular challenge. On the other hand, agriculture covers only half of the municipality's area - ten percentage points less than the national average - while the municipality has 21 percent forest and is therefore close to the national target of at least 25 percent forest coverage. The large forests and lakes along with Gudenåen give the municipality good natural conditions for both carbon storage and climate adaptation. The most central measures focus on three main areas. Within energy, the municipality is to produce green electricity equivalent to 100 percent of consumption by 2030 and phase out all fossil fuels for space heating. In the transport sector, the target is for 50 percent of all private vehicles to be electric by 2030, while private car driving is reduced by 10 percent through better public transport and cycling. Within agriculture and land use, 600 hectares of lowland soils are to be retired and 300 hectares of new forest planted by 2030, while all larger farms are to use climate accounting. Politicians honestly acknowledge that there will still be a shortfall of 17 percentage points in 2050, equivalent to approximately 101,000 tonnes of CO2e, which must be reduced through new technologies and measures after 2030 (p. 6). The growing population - the municipality is expected to reach 70,000 residents by 2030 - makes the task even more challenging, as more inhabitants typically mean increased energy consumption, transport, and resource use. Heavy transport in particular still lacks good technological solutions. Citizen and business engagement is central to the municipality's approach. Climate funds for citizens and businesses are established, family climate summits are held in local communities, and the municipality's primary schools are to integrate green education into teaching. Local successes such as Skanderborg Bryghus, which uses surplus heat from Renosyd, and Smukfest, which has achieved an 80 percent recycling rate, show that local businesses are already engaged in the green transition. The climate plan must now ensure that this positive development is accelerated and spread to all parts of society.

Source: Fælles om et klima i balance - Klimaplan for Skanderborg Kommune 2023-2050 (2023)