How Could We? transform cities  – Episode 3 with Sissel Knutsen Hegdal and Thomas Osdoba 

EIT Climate-KIC launches Season 5 of the “How Could We?” podcast, which explores cities’ transformation and why cities play such a key role in tackling climate change.  

The How Could We? podcast explores solutions and nurtures hope for a climate-resilient, inclusive, and beautiful future for all. In each episode, we engage in deep conversations with people who are pioneering systemic change.    

In this season, host Anne-Sophie Garrigou interviews experts about the importance of community engagement, how cities’ dialogue with industry can enact change and the collaboration of cities with other actors – highlighting the role of cities in demonstrating the transformation needed to achieve ambitious climate goals.  

Meet our guests: Sissel Knutsen Hegdal and Thomas Osdoba 

In this episode, our guests are Sissel Knutsen Hegdal, mayor of Norwegian city Stavanger and Thomas Osdoba, EIT Climate-KIC Senior Cities Advisor and Director of the NetZeroCities Programme. 

We discuss how Stavanger’s actions to achieve net zero emissions provide concrete examples of municipal climate action, how the NetZeroCities Programme can serve as a model for ambitious cities worldwide and what are the best practices to foster collaboration between different levels of government and stakeholders in city climate governance. 

“Being mayor of Stavanger gives me the power to raise my voice and be a leader – but it’s also important for me to acknowledge that I need to work with diverse stakeholders in my city to enact change, share information and learn from others. As a politician, I’m not an expert in all fields, but I can open doors – I can bring people together, I can facilitate meetings and conferences. It’s a complex challenge but also extremely interesting,” says Sissel Knutsen Hegdal. 

“Cities are used to sharing information, exchanging best practices, and learning from each other. That’s been a foundation on which we’ve been able to build – our job is to try to help cities do more, better, faster. It’s as simple as that. We want to facilitate more sharing around the kinds of best practices that are going to help cities get towards climate neutrality faster,” says Thomas Osdoba. 

Episode highlights  

Listen to this episode if you are curious about:  

  •  What are the barriers currently stopping cities becoming climate neutral, and how we can overcome them 
  •  What innovative governance models can support climate action 
  •  The role of mayors in facilitating climate action by bringing together diverse stakeholders 

The upcoming final episode of this season will feature a conversation between Diane Holdorf, Executive Vice President from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Kirsten Dunlop, CEO from EIT Climate-KIC, discussing how cities and industries collaborate should more effectively to accelerate the transition towards climate neutrality  

Listen to our first episode from this season, an interview with EIT Climate-KIC CEO Kirsten Dunlop where we discuss why EIT Climate-KIC has chosen to work in – and with – cities, how cities embody the idea of systems transformation and what EIT Climate-KIC has learned from its work with cities that informs collaborations with regions, nations, industries and many other stakeholders.  

The second episode from this season featured Marianne Lemberger from EIT Food and Christophe Gadenne from Gardens4Good. We discussed the importance of community engagement in cities’ transformation, how Gardens4Good’s food garden project is positively impacting the residents of the Annie Girardot nursing home in Paris, and how to design projects to ensure the inclusivity and empowerment of marginalised voices. 

Make sure to follow the podcast wherever you listen, and stay updated with EIT Climate-KIC on social media for upcoming episodes.   

This podcast is produced by Bárbara Mendes-Jorge.  

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