Urban Klima 2050 promotes citizen empowerment against climate change in five Basque municipalities
05/02/2026
Municipal plans for Amurrio, Bilbao, Donostia/San Sebastián, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zarautz push ahead with actions to promote sustainable habits and citizen participation in climate action.
After the progress made on the Basque Citizen Empowerment for Climate Action Plan, Urban Klima 2050 has presented the results of the municipal plans for Amurrio, Bilbao, Donostia / San Sebastián, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zarautz, making it possible to transfer this strategic framework into the local sphere and make it more specific to actions adapted to each municipality.
Since the completion of the participatory processes for co-creating these plans in 2023, the municipalities involved have been working on implementing the planned citizen empowerment actions, structured around six common lines of action: informing, communicating, raising awareness, educating, encouraging citizen participation and changing the context.
A common framework with a 2050 horizon
The aim of these municipal plans is to promote citizen empowerment on climate change and move towards a change in habits that will lead to more sustainable behaviour in the long term. The plans have a 2050 horizon and aim, among other things, to foster sustainable mobility, promote a just energy transition based on efficiency and renewable energies, encourage responsible consumption from local sources, move towards zero waste, protect ecosystems, create more resilient urban environments and ensure the active participation of citizens in decision-making related to climate action.
This shared framework makes it possible to tackle the climate challenge from a common perspective, adapting actions to the specific reality and needs of each municipality.
Progress of the plans
Overall, the five municipal empowerment plans developed as part of Urban Klima 2050 have made significant progress in their implementation. Of the 105 citizen empowerment actions planned, 66 are currently underway or have been completed. More specifically, 62% have already been started, and 28% have been completed, reflecting a progressive evolution of the plans since their launch in 2023.
The degree of implementation varies depending on the different strategic lines. Particularly noteworthy are the actions linked to education, with 90% of the actions having been started, and those aimed at changing the context, with 78%, and at promoting citizen participation, with 72%. The actions around informing and communicating are also making significant progress, with 59% and 54% of the actions having been started, respectively, while 48% of the awareness-raising actions have been carried out.
