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Vaasa is the Climate Municipality 2025!
Published: 22.5.2025
The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities has named the City of Vaasa the Climate Municipality of the Year at the Municipal Climate Conference on 22 May 2025. The recognition is awarded every two years to a municipality that has achieved significant results in its work towards carbon neutrality.
Vaasa was chosen based on its responsible communication, strong commitment to change, and ability to achieve concrete results.
One of the City of Vaasa’s main strategic goals is to achieve carbon neutrality in the 2020s. So far, Vaasa has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 54 percent compared to 1990 levels.
– Climate action is part of everyday life for us in Vaasa; we work on it daily at many levels, in collaboration with residents, businesses and educational institutions. The people of Vaasa are united by the belief that we are changing the world – and that makes us happy, underlines Mayor Tomas Häyry.
Vaasa has also received international recognition
This is already the second significant recognition of Vaasa’s climate efforts within a short period of time. In November 2024, Vaasa won the prestigious European Green Leaf 2026 award, an annual competition organised by the European Commission that recognises a city for its ambitious environmental and climate actions.
– These recognitions and awards show that Vaasa’s climate efforts are valued both nationally and internationally. The latest award also supports preparations for Vaasa’s 2026 Green Leaf year, says Johanna Punkari, Energy and Climate Specialist.
Positive results through collaboration
The strength of Vaasa’s climate efforts lies in co-operation. Known as the Nordic Energy Capital, Vaasa is home to EnergyVaasa, the leading energy industry business cluster in the Nordic region. The network, comprising over 180 companies and research organisations, develops solutions for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low-carbon technologies.
The recent Vaasa Climate Commitment further strengthens the spirit of cooperation. Partners already include companies such as Wärtsilä, VEO, ABB, Westenergy, and the Port of Vaasa.
Emissions are being reduced in many ways
The largest sources of emissions in Vaasa are traffic and district heating. Plans are already underway to reduce emissions from district heating through measures such as expanding the thermal storage capacity. The city is also actively developing its bicycle lane network and is currently running the ‘Bicycle lanes as carbon sinks’ project. The number of users during winter has significantly increased, thanks to enhanced winter maintenance of walking and cycling paths. Public transport usage has also increased.