Choosing the western city from among six others in Switzerland, the WWF cited Lausanne’s “remarkable” tree-planting initiatives and a zero CO2 emission target for mobility by 2030.
Lausanne came ahead of six other Swiss cities in the WWF climate competition: Basel, Zurich, Delémont, St. Gallen, Thun and Bern. The top three will go on to an international final in May.
The WWF also singled out Basel, which it said is leading the way in cutting CO2 emissions; and Zurich, which is investing more than CHF1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) in development of climate-friendly urban heating networks.
A total of 280 cities participated in the competition worldwide, according to the WWF statement.
The city of Lausanne aims to have 30% of the city covered by a canopy of trees by 2040, compared with 20% now, according to a recent reportExternal link by Swiss national broadcaster RTS. It planted 1,454 new trees in 2021. For 2022, there are 750 more currently being planted, and hundreds more to go in the ground this autumn.
Lausanne, whose governance is dominated by left-wing and Green parties, was also the first Swiss city to introduce a night-time speed limit of 30km throughout most of the city.
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