Climate budgeting

A climate budget will be prepared for the first time in Kuopio in connection with the budget process during 2025. The climate budget will create an overall picture of the economic impacts of the city’s strategic climate and resource intelligence goals to support decision-making. It will also be used to monitor the implementation of the Kuopio Climate and Resource Wise Programme (Viksu Kuopio -programme), and the progress of climate and resource wisdom measures.

The climate budget consists of an emissions budget and a financial plan for climate action. The emissions budget is prepared for the budget and financial planning years by the environmental protection services and defines the maximum amount of emissions that can be generated in the city area in order to achieve the city’s carbon neutrality goal.

The climate action financial plan compiles information on the costs of climate and resource-smart measures implemented in the city’s departments, as well as potential revenues and savings. The budget includes various expenses related to climate change mitigation and adaptation and the promotion of resource-smart measures, as well as personnel costs, when promoting climate action accounts for at least 10% of a person’s working time. In addition, the climate budget highlights, for example, income from development projects, public transport ticket revenues, and savings from green financing or energy efficiency measures. The share of climate and resource-smart measures in investments is also specified.

Environmental protection services experts support the sectors, if necessary, in identifying measures that are significant for the climate budget.

Based on the information collected in the data collection database, the environmental protection services compile the climate budget as part of the budget book. The climate budget is discussed in connection with the mayor’s budget proposal.