Towards a neutral North : identifying factors that drive a municipality to actively propel a low carbon transition : a case study of Akureyri, Iceland

Sammanfattning: Lowering global carbon emission is one of the most pressing issues of our time. A rising interest in the role of cities in lowering emissions has been detected. Although urban areas are active entities in the production of carbon emissions they are also potential hubs for designing and implementing solutions. Such processes has been referred to as urban low carbon transitions (ULCT) by academics. In this thesis I investigate the ULCT currently underway in Akureyri, Iceland. The main aspects of that transition has been an emergence of a persistent niche and creation of an official municipal ‘carbon neutral Akureyri strategy’ (CNAS). Analysing this I utilise transition theories, multilevel perspective (MLP) framework as well as a newer ULCT framework for further understanding of city transitions. With empirical data from 19 interviews with relevant interdisciplinary actors I identify CNAS precursors, transition trends as well as actors’ perceived driving forces and success factors. Transitions are known to be driven by multitude of factors and causality is rarely simple and this study is no exception. Results show the main driving forces are active and enthusiastic individuals and municipal branding possibilities. Success factors being mainly close community connections, strong public- private partnerships and stable local political support for green initiatives. The sociotechnical system of carbon flows in Akureyri is has connected local waste management and transport regimes through fuel production. A presence of an active intermediary, Vistorka Ltd. functions to support niche innovations affecting carbon flows. The intermediary is propelled by two identified ‘transition champions’ in Akureyri. Some unique underlying factors were found, such as underlying culture environmental surroundings, yet many aspects can be generalised and thus have some instrumental value as a case to learn from and upscale for further transitions.