Bratislava presented its first comprehensive climate plan

The capital has its first Climate Plan for a greener and healthier Bratislava. The plan, adopted by a vast majority of city councillors, shows the way for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55 % and strengthening the protection of Bratislava residents from the negative consequences of climate change. The measures relate to both the city and city associations as well as the residents and companies.

The activities of cities in addressing climate change are crucial, since up to 70 % of greenhouse gas emissions are generated on their territory worldwide. Cities also have a direct and major impact on the lives of their residents, to whom they are often closer than national governments.

By adopting the climate plan, Bratislava demonstrates that it accepts this responsibility. “The biggest challenge we are facing today is to leave our children a planet where they can live a safe and healthy life. By achieving its climate goals, Bratislava will make a small but responsible contribution to this common effort. Every solution in the area of the climate also brings new opportunities for Bratislava, thanks to which life will be better in our city. The plan’s measures will bring livelier and greener neighbourhoods, healthier buildings, cleaner air, more affordable ecological transport as well as clean energy produced directly in Bratislava,” said Matúš Vallo, the mayor of Bratislava.

“Many experts from the City Hall and city organisations and businesses played a part in preparing the action plan, and they will also be key partners in implementing its measures. We acquired data and inputs for planning from energy companies, government institutions, as well as non-profit organisations,” said Ján Mazúr, chief strategist of the city of Bratislava. “In cooperation with an external supplier, the company Enviros, we elaborated a comprehensive emission inventory, on the basis of which we modelled the contribution of the individual measures. The Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava, in turn, has prepared an assessment of the vulnerability of individual city areas, residents and infrastructure to summer heat and torrential rains, on the basis of which we will plan adaptation measures,” added J. Mazúr.

The goal of a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030 is in line with the requirements of the Global Convention of Mayors for Climate and Energy, which Bratislava joined in 2012. The greenhouse gas inventory carried out showed that Bratislava has already managed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They have fallen by a third since 2005, mainly due to the efforts of residents who invested in insulating their houses. The plan proposes an additional emissions reduction by 25 percentage points through investing in the renovation of all types of buildings in the city as well as massive installation of renewable energy sources, particularly photovoltaics. Investments in the gradual decarbonisation of the heating industry, which accounts for up to 40% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, will also be important.

The action plan measures will be implemented in six key areas: • The city sets an example: The administration, operation and services of the city are directly responsible for only 11% of the total city emissions; however, the city’s municipal property sector is key, because the city wants to set an example for other actors. Therefore, it will focus, together with its organisations and city enterprises, on speeding up the renovation of buildings, installing renewable energy sources or finishing the comprehensive renovation of public lighting. • Waste recovery: The plan supports maximising the use of non-recyclable waste and wastewater as sources of energy. The measures include, for example, modernising the facility for energy utilisation of waste (ZEVO), the construction of a composting plant and a biogas station or verifying the possibility of using the residual heat of wastewater. • Sustainable mobility: The strategic priority in this sector is to increase the share of public, pedestrian and bicycle transport up to 70% through a combination of various measures. • For the residents of Bratislava and responsible companies, continuing in the renovation of buildings and participating in the production of renewable energy directly in the city will be key. The role of Bratislava will be to support energy transformation through motivational and regulatory measures: for example, territorial planning of new neighbourhoods, which should be designed to take into account the need to shift away from fossil fuels in energy production and adapted to changed climatic conditions, will be important. • In the area of adaptation to climate change, the city plans to continue in developing green and blue infrastructure and strengthening biodiversity in the city. It will also focus on increasing the health protection of residents during heatwaves or strengthening the city’s crisis management.

The following key measures, which the city is currently implementing or preparing, were selected for the first years of implementation:

1. Introduction of energy management in city buildings and reduction of energy consumption in city buildings by 35%,
2. Installation of photovoltaic panels on buildings owned by the city, which will cover at least 20% of annual electricity consumption,
3. Completion of the reconstruction and modernisation of public lighting with 100% coverage by LED technology,
4. Building and modernisation of 10 km of tram lines,
5. Construction of 400 new charging stations for personal electric vehicles,
6. Introduction of the Programme of Cooperation between companies to reduce energy consumption,
7. Change in the Development Concept of Bratislava, the Capital of the Slovak Republic, in the area of thermal energy with the goal of long-term reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the heating industry,
8. Revitalisation of 15 parks as part of the Živé miesta (Living Places) programme,
9. Planting of 25,000 trees and shrubs,
10. Installation of 80 drinking fountains in the area.

The Climate Plan was prepared and will be coordinated by the climate office, which was set up in November 2023 as part of the Department of Urban Strategies and Analysis under the leadership of Jakub Mrva, Deputy Mayor for the Environment and Climate Change. “Reducing emissions in such a short time horizon will require a great effort by various actors. Bratislava therefore wants to actively develop cooperation with residents and companies, as well as the Slovak government to meet the ambitious goals of the plan,” said Jakub Mrva. The involvement of city districts, which also handle a large portion of the public property, will also be important.

The city district of Petržalka is currently a project partner. “Climate change is an important topic for our territory, too, and this is why we got involved when SECAP was still being prepared. We contribute to the plan with specific projects for the renovation of sports grounds and schools, which will be gradually renovated and modernised. Their reconstruction is designed to a low-energy standard. For example, an ambitious project implemented in cooperation with the Bratislava Self-governing Region – the construction of the Energy Zone of Pankúchova – deserves an attention,” added Iveta Jančoková, Deputy Mayor of the Bratislava-Petržalka city district.

The development of the Action Plan was co-financed from the EEA Financial Mechanism and the state budget of the Slovak Republic as part of the Climate Resilient Bratislava project.