Mannheim’s agile approach to climate action

Cities around the world are developing strategies to dramatically reduce emissions by 2030, 2040 or even 2050. But as the climate crisis intensifies, long-term planning must not obscure the need for urgent action.

While these detailed plans and weighty reports chart the direction of travel, cities are understanding that they must not be static documents but adaptable based on actual results and external shifts that are not yet known.

More municipalities are beginning to put measures in place to enable greater agility. This includes climate budgeting, which means managing and reporting on climate measures as rigorously as financial spending.

Mannheim in Germany, meanwhile, will digit...