City of Paris: Carbon Neutral by 2050 for a Fair, Inclusive and Resilient Transition | France

In 2007, the City of Paris adopted a proactive and ambitious Climate Action Plan (Plan Climat). As a result, the city’s carbon footprint decreased by 20% between 2004 and 2018 and local GHG emissions were cut by 25%.

The third Paris Climate Plan (2018) defines an operational action plan for 2020-2030 in terms of the reduction of emissions and energy consumption, the development of renewable energy, adaptation to climate change and the implementation of carbon offsetting and sequestration tools to accelerate the local transition.

By 2050, the City of Paris aims to reduce local emissions by 100%, achieving the goal of zero emissions in Paris, promote an 80% reduction in the carbon footprint of Paris compared to 2004 levels, and involve all local stakeholders in offsetting for residual emissions in order to achieve the zero net carbon target for the Paris area.

Key facts

Hundreds of measures focused around key themes will enable the attainment of carbon neutrality in 2050: thermal renovation of buildings; renewable energy supply; shared, active and clean transport; circular economy; sustainable food; development of financing tools.
Several actions are currently being deployed to develop renewable energies. For example, 76,500 m² of solar panels have already been installed on Paris rooftops. By 2030, 20% of Parisian roofs will be equipped with solar panels.
The Paris Climate Plan reaffirms the ambition to make Paris a 100% bikeable city, offering more space for pedestrians and reducing automobile pressure.

The challenge

Cities consume more than two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has recognized the crucial role of cities in tackling the climate crisis, stating that cities were “where the climate battle will largely be won or lost.” The choices that will be made on urban infrastructure in the coming decades – on construction, housing, energy efficiency, power generation and transport – will have a tremendous influence on the emissions curve.

The solution

In line with the goals of the Paris Agreement, by 2050, the City of Paris undertakes to: reduce local emissions by 100%, achieving the goal of zero emission in Paris; and promote an 80% reduction in the carbon footprint of Paris compared to 2004 levels; and involve all local stakeholders in offsetting for residual emissions in order to achieve the zero net carbon target for the Paris area.

Among its flagship commitments, the City of Paris has set itself the target of phasing out diesel-powered mobility by 2024 and petrol-powered mobility by 2030. In addition, the city is developing financial incentives and support measures for low-carbon mobility. It is also preparing a low-carbon urban logistics plan for the Paris region between now and 2030.

The city plans to accelerate the greening of its heating network to reach 75% of RES in 2030. In terms of housing, to be aligned on carbon neutrality trajectory, 1 million homes must be renovated by 2050 (to reduce the energy consumption of homes by one-third - 35% of the social housing stock - by 2030 and by half by 2050 compared with 2004). To date, more than 65,000 housing units have already been renovated or are being renovated, including more than 50,000 social housing units and 281 schools.

Helping people

Since the City of Paris views the Climate Plan as a means to tackle social insecurity, it also wants to make sure that socio-economic issues are prioritised as part of its climate efforts. To do so, it has conducted a study on the socio-economic impacts of the energy and climate transition in order to specifically identify the impacts of the Climate Plan, whether positive or negative.

A range of individual, economic, social, and political impacts were analysed for the main actions in the Climate Plan. Their effects on employment, well-being, equity, and balance across the city were also examined. This study showed that many of the Paris Climate Plan measures will help to improve the well-being of citizens by improving the quality of their immediate environment, which will have an impact on physical and psychological health.

These improvements should promote support for the Climate Plan and the willingness of citizens to contribute. In turn, increasing individual support for and involvement in an ambitious climate transition is critical to improving the environment and living conditions.

Spillover effect

Because large cities are facing the same challenges, it is important for Paris to showcase and share its progress. As a municipality that is heavily involved in international cooperation, Paris intends to actively participate in city diplomacy and strengthen the role of non-state actors in implementing the Paris Agreement. Above all, it will support the creation of long-term city policies for 2050.

As one of the leaders of the C40, the City of Paris will help local governments develop long-term plans for 2050 that are in line with commitments under the Paris Agreement, modelled on the current Climate Plan. It will also support the “2050 Pathways Platform”, an alliance of countries, cities, and companies committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and it will continue to participate in various networks, such as Energy Cities, Global Covenant of Mayors and the C40, to improve recognition of the role cities play in climate action.