Climate Budgeting Goes Hands-On in Turku

How can cities turn climate targets and data into practical decisions? Participants in the fifth Climate Budget Training Course module explored the question hands-on in Turku, Finland, on 1–2 September.

After four modules covering climate budgeting concepts, governance, data, climate actions, costs and scenarios, the training moved from theory to practice. The two-day module brought together representatives from municipalities, cities and regional authorities across the Baltic Sea Region and beyond.

With participants bringing experience from different administrative contexts and cities at different stages of their climate action journeys, the training offered a valuable opportunity to compare approaches and discuss what it takes to make climate budgeting work in practice.

From climate action on the ground to digital tools

The training started with a look at climate action in Turku itself. Participants visited a Positive Energy District and an urban biodiversity park. They also learned about Turku’s climate work and emissions monitoring.

The visits provided a practical backdrop for the training: climate budgeting is ultimately about connecting targets, data and financial decisions with the actions taking place in cities.

Back in the training room, participants were introduced to the CADS Tool and its role in supporting climate scenario calculations. They explored the tool’s key features and visualisations, and heard about the experiences with the tool piloting from the Climate-4-CAST partner cities.

Putting the CADS Tool to the test

On the second day, participants moved from demonstration to hands-on work. They explored CADS Tool outputs, changed scenarios and used visualisations to examine how different climate actions can shape future outcomes.

A practical clinic allowed participants to work through guided tasks based on real climate-action challenges. Alongside the technical exercises, city representatives shared their experiences of using the tool, discussed its key features and explored potential applications in their own contexts.

Peer exchange was at the heart of the module. Through city-twinning and group discussions, participants compared approaches, shared challenges and considered what is needed to make climate budgeting part of everyday municipal decision-making.

One step closer to putting climate budgets into practice

The Turku module demonstrated how climate-budgeting knowledge can move from concepts and calculations to practical use. By combining real-life examples, digital tools and peer learning, participants gained experience in using climate scenarios to support informed choices.

But the journey does not end with the numbers. The final module of the Climate Budget Training Course will take place in Brussels, focusing on how to communicate climate-budgeting results to decision-makers and other stakeholders.

From understanding climate budgets to testing them in practice — and finally learning how to communicate their results — the training course is bringing cities one step closer to making climate budgeting a practical part of climate action.

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