Climate action remains a leading priority for Europe’s mayors in 2026, according to the Eurocities Pulse Mayors Survey, but the political context around it is changing. While climate is still high on the agenda, fewer mayors now name it as their single top priority, as cities also face growing pressure on housing, infrastructure, democracy, social cohesion and public services.
This does not mean cities are stepping back from climate action, but there is a broader approach to it, because climate policy is treated as a transversal agenda. In cities, climate change is now closely tied to health, housing, mobility, public space, energy security, economic resilience and trust in public institutions.
That was the message running through the discussion on “Cities driving climate action in a shifting Europe” at Eurocities 2026 Utrecht. As Europe focuses more on competitiveness, strategic autonomy and security, city leaders showed how local climate action can support these priorities rather than compete with them.
Climate action starts with people’s daily lives
For cities, the climate crisis is felt in polluted air, rising temperatures, higher energy bills, pressure on water systems and the unequal impact on vulnerable people. Environmental risks are now among the greatest concerns for cities, with floods, heatwaves, droughts and sea-level rise linked directly to housing, poverty, health and public services.
In London, the link between climate, health and daily life has shaped action on air quality. Half a million Londoners had been affected by reduced lung capacity, with young people especially exposed to pollution. “When London’s current mayor was first elected, the city was on track to need 193 years to reach legal air quality limits. It reached that point in nine,” said Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor of London. This was done through a package of measures, including limits on car use, investment in public transport and a major shift towards electric vehicles, including buses and taxis. Deaths linked to air pollution, estimated at 4,000 a year in 2019, have now fallen by half.
Security, energy and resilience
The same link between climate and everyday needs is shaping action in Espoo. Kai Mykkänen, Mayor of Espoo, described how the city has reduced its dependence on coal and expanded heat pump systems, including using heat from data centres for district heating. The city has cut emissions per person by around 60% in recent years, while the geopolitical situation has accelerated the need for a more diverse energy mix.
The biggest problem is not technical, but about trust
Communication is also part of the transition. “Our narratives and storytelling are crucial. Short-term living costs and security matters should shape the narratives,” explained Mykkänen, showing that climate action is not only about long-term environmental goals, but also about transversal aspects that require fast moves and citizens’ involvement.
Rotterdam faces the climate transition from a different starting point. As Europe’s largest port and a major industrial hub, the city has to reduce emissions while managing the realities of heavy industry and energy flows. But for Carola Schouten, Mayor of Rotterdam, there is a clear main challenge. “The biggest problem is not technical, but about trust,” she said.
Rotterdam is investing in industrial transition, while also working with residents on the social side of climate action. Moving households away from gas and towards electricity can create resistance, especially for people already facing difficult living conditions. That is why the city has involved residents, asked what they need and developed initiatives such as solar energy cooperatives, where citizens can use and sell energy.
Trust makes the transition possible
This question of trust is a recurrent issue. City leaders agreed that people are more likely to support change when they understand what it means for their lives. Climate action can be explained through targets, regulations or technical terms, but the reach can be limited. It must be connected to better homes, lower bills, safer streets and healthier neighbourhoods.
Vienna is taking this approach through housing and quality of life. Sara do Amaral Tavares Da Costa, City Councillor of Vienna, described the city’s climate neutrality masterplan for 2040 as part of a broader effort to protect liveability. “We have to think and act big,” she said.
For Vienna, this means adapting social housing to climate change while keeping it affordable. It also means protecting the water supply, supporting clean energy in buildings and focusing on vulnerable residents’ access to parks, green spaces and protection from heat and cold. Through its Climate Teams project, the city works in selected districts to identify local climate issues and finance measures that respond to residents’ needs.
As Da Costa put it, a smaller electricity bill can help people support the transition. But she also warned that finance cannot be ignored. Climate mitigation and adaptation cost money, and cities need the right criteria, funding and flexibility to deliver them.
Climate action is really about protecting people, it’s not about abstract environmental discussions
Changing streets, cooling cities
In Stockholm, climate action is being used to improve public space. Lars Strömgren, Deputy Mayor of Stockholm, described how the city has combined environmental projects with liveability, from restoring an important lake area to creating more space for people in streets. Through its Liveable Streets work, Stockholm has removed car parking and opened space for public life.
This kind of change can create opposition. In Stockholm’s historic centre, removing 200 parking spaces led to protests. The city responded through dialogue with residents and organisations, then tested a solution that allowed parking at certain times in winter. “We have to show that we are part of the solution”, he stated. For Strömgren, this is about moving from the “story of self” to the “story of us”: finding solutions that work for different people while keeping the climate transition moving.
Lyon is also showing why cities must combine long-term planning with immediate protection. Gregory Doucet, Mayor of Lyon, said his city is the most affected by climate change in France. “We can already feel in our bodies the temperature increase,” he said.
Lyon’s response includes greening the city, expanding pedestrian areas and bike lanes, investing in public transport and renovating public buildings, especially schools. But the city is also acting in the short term. It has created a cooling plan and mapped 700 cool places open to everyone, including libraries, shopping centres and other accessible spaces. It has also developed outreach for vulnerable people, including support around water access and health.
From climate targets to public trust
Barcelona brought the discussion back to the political purpose of climate action. “Climate action is really about protecting people, it’s not about abstract environmental discussions,” said Laia Bonet Rull, Deputy Mayor of Barcelona. For cities facing more frequent heatwaves and other climate impacts, climate policy is about making sure people can live safely, affordably and with dignity.
That is also why cities are asking for stronger European support. Mayors want faster and larger-scale access to climate finance, support that connects sectors such as energy, mobility, housing, water and public space, and a regulatory environment that helps local delivery through simpler rules, less bureaucracy and more flexibility.
At the same time, working with other cities to promote the climate transition is mayors’ second priority for city diplomacy in 2026, as the Eurocities Pulse Mayors Survey shows. Cities are implementing climate policies, but they are also testing solutions, learning from one another and showing what works on the ground.
Your city can also enhance climate action
For cities facing resistance to climate measures, trust is also at the centre of the new Participatory Approaches for Cities in Transition project, or PACT. Through this initiative, Eurocities and the E.ON Foundation are looking for three pilot cities to explore how participatory and deliberative approaches can help address polarisation around climate action. The project will support cities to design and deliver a complete participatory process linked to a concrete climate-related policy, whether in mobility, housing, urban planning or another area where climate and daily life meet.
Participating cities will receive funding, practical and logistical support, peer exchange, and training for city leaders on managing conflict and communicating in a polarised context. Cities interested in taking part can submit an application form and a commitment letter signed by a political sponsor. For more information, they can contact Emilio Risoli, Project Coordinator at Eurocities.
We have to show that we are part of the solution
The discussion in Utrecht showed that the climate agenda is changing, but not disappearing. It is becoming more connected to the realities cities manage every day: cleaner air, lower bills, resilient homes, shaded streets, reliable energy, better transport and public trust.
As Europe debates competitiveness, security and its future budget, cities are making the case that climate action belongs at the centre of that conversation. Not as an extra demand, but as a practical way to protect people, strengthen resilience and build cities that are ready for the future. And that’s at Eurocities’ core. As Mete Coban said, “I highlight the importance of being part of a network of cities that is doing and can do powerful things for the people we represent.”
