Viborg Kommune has set the ambitious goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. This commitment is not merely symbolic - it is a necessary transition for a municipality where climate challenges shape both everyday life and the business community in particular ways. With its large agricultural production and extensive lowland areas, Viborg faces climate tasks that differ markedly from many other Danish municipalities. Today, the municipality emits approximately 1.52 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents annually, corresponding to 15.6 tonnes per inhabitant - significantly higher than the national average of 9.6 tonnes per Dane (p. 6). The particularly high level is primarily due to agriculture, which together with crop production, livestock and land use accounts for a full 54 percent of total emissions in the municipality (pp. 6-7). Transport contributes a further 19 percent, while the energy sector has actually reduced its emissions by 59 percent since 1990 thanks to the transition to greener electricity production. What makes Viborg Kommune's climate challenge particularly complex is the combination of the large agricultural footprint and the geographic conditions with extensive river valleys and lowland areas. While many municipalities primarily focus on energy and transport, Viborg must navigate the agricultural transition, where technological solutions are still being developed and where national framework conditions play a crucial role. At the same time, the municipality's position as home to Aarhus Universitet Foulum and Food & Bio Cluster Denmark provides unique opportunities to be a frontrunner in developing green agricultural solutions. The most comprehensive planned measures focus on three main areas. In energy, all district heating plants are to phase out natural gas in favour of heat pumps, and half of all oil and natural gas boilers are to be converted to district heating or individual heat pumps. In transport, the target is that 25 percent of all passenger cars are to be electric or hydrogen cars by 2030, and all new bus tenders are to be for zero-emission buses. Most ambitious are the plans to utilise the municipality's lowland areas for climate purposes - 986 hectares of lowland soils have already been retired from cultivation, retaining over 10,000 tonnes of CO2 annually (p. 24). Nevertheless, the municipality honestly acknowledges that the plan's measures do not yet reach all the way to climate neutrality in 2050. A reduction of approximately 538,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents is still needed, particularly in agriculture and heavy transport (p. 44). This shortfall reflects the technological uncertainty surrounding future solutions such as power-to-X, carbon capture and synthetic fuels. The climate plan is therefore to be revised every four years to incorporate new technologies and opportunities as they become available. To ensure broad support, the municipality is investing in extensive citizen engagement through initiatives such as 'Grønne Sammen', where 14,000 children and young people from childminders, nurseries and primary schools work annually on sustainability themes (p. 10). A planned Youth Climate Council and Inspiration Forum are to give residents and businesses concrete influence on the climate effort. Through FN17 Business Center, the municipality works strategically to help local businesses implement the Sustainable Development Goals in their business strategy, so the green transition becomes an engine for growth rather than a burden on local businesses.

Source: Viborg Kommunes Klimaplan 2022 - 2050 (2022)