Promising the moon? Oslo’s bold climate change goal falls short

(Context, 9 May 2023) European cities are struggling to set climate goals that are both bold and achievable, with even top performers falling short.

Oslo's 2016 goal to combat climate change was as radical as it was unprecedented: to halve greenhouse gas emissions within four years.

Having called its plan "demanding yet achievable", Oslo won global plaudits as a model for bold urban action and went on to be crowned the European Green Capital of 2019, a prestigious annual award from the European Commission.

Without doubt, the Norwegian capital of almost 700,000 people has made huge strides in electrifying public transport, restricting diesel and petrol cars, and building parks and dozens of kilometres of cycle lanes.

Yet Oslo has fallen well short of its 2016 target - to halve emissions from 1990 levels by 2020 - according to interviews with officials and researchers and data analysed by Context.

A newer goal - cutting emissions by 95% from 2009 levels by 2030 - is similarly now in jeopardy.

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Context, 9 May 2023: Promising the moon? Oslo’s bold climate change goal falls short