Climate neutral cities in Sweden: True commitment or hollow statements?

More cities have started trajectories to become climate neutral, especially for their territorial emissions. However, while cities are also targeting consumption-based emissions, whether their plans are sufficient to become climate neutral from both a territorial and a consumption-based perspective remains unclear. We designed a conceptual framework based on a literature review of urban climate mitigation and reviewed mitigation–related documents from nine Swedish cities. We found a strong political will and solid targets but gaps in the plans and actions mostly related to transport, construction and food. Municipal governments use "soft" policy instruments to meet climate targets; at times, economic instruments contradict the vision. Our evaluation indicates a disconnect between intent and outcomes. More regulatory instruments must be deployed to become climate-neutral, and economic incentives must be aligned with the vision. Understanding how climate mitigation strategies affect resources within the city will be necessary to ensure the acceptance and uptake of climate action plans. Collaboration with superordinate governments, within and outside national borders, will be essential to align on policy and policy instruments. What is known? • Cities play a pivotal role in reducing emissions and achieving climate neutrality, yet in our sample of nine Swedish cities, territorial and consumption-based emissions have decreased little since 2014. What are the new findings? • Our review of the cities' environmental plans against our conceptual framework shows high political commitment to achieving climate neutrality. Still, it reveals gaps in strategies and actions, especially for transport and household consumption. Economic instruments are not always in line with reducing climate emissions. • Furthermore, collaborating with superordinate governments is essential to achieving targets, but this is insufficiently addressed within the municipal governments' plans. What do the new findings imply? • Regulatory instruments will be required to support "modal shifts" in behaviour and meet consumption-based climate targets. Understanding the financial consequences of climate mitigation strategies will also be essential to assess the feasibility and societal acceptance of these strategies at a city level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]