Limerick City and County Council has welcomed an invitation for Limerick to become a Mission Minded City, strengthening its links with the European Union's Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission and the NetZeroCities Mission Platform. The move recognises the city's climate ambition and ongoing work, and will connect Limerick with a pan-European community of cities collaborating to deliver a low-carbon, climate-neutral future.

Through participation, Limerick will be able to learn from peers, share its own experience and co-develop practical solutions to accelerate progress towards climate neutrality by 2050. The city will gain access to knowledge, expertise and support via the NetZeroCities Mission Platform and explore potential funding avenues. Nationally, Limerick will be eligible to join Ireland's National Mirror Group, which brings together the five Irish cities aligned with the Mission, creating further opportunities to exchange knowledge, inform national policy and access ring-fenced funding.

Limerick has already benefited from engagement with NetZeroCities. In 2025, it was selected as one of 24 European Twin Cities and paired with Tampere in Finland for an 18-month programme focused on sharing knowledge and transferring best practice in sustainable mobility.

Mayor of Limerick, John Moran, said the invitation would help Limerick build on its climate ambition through deeper European collaboration: "Missions are about tackling big, difficult challenges together, pooling the strengths and ingenuity of people right across society. When everyone pulls in the same direction towards a shared goal, the benefits can be revolutionary.

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"For Limerick, becoming a Mission Minded City means learning from what's working elsewhere, sharing our own experience and putting good ideas into practice here. Plenty of places talk a big game on climate action; what counts is getting on with the work and delivering results. This is our chance to up the ante, build on what we're already doing in Limerick and make real progress towards climate neutrality by 2050."

Príomh Chomhairleoir of Limerick City and County Council, Cllr Tom Ruddle, said the European recognition highlights contributions being made across the city: "Climate action is most effective when it delivers real and visible benefits for people in their daily lives, from more energy-efficient buildings and cleaner transport choices to greener public spaces and stronger, more resilient communities.

"This invitation recognises the ambition being shown across Limerick and gives us an opportunity to work with cities facing many of the same challenges. By sharing knowledge and experience, we can identify approaches that will make a meaningful difference for communities throughout Limerick."

Director General of Limerick City and County Council, Dr Pat Daly, said: "The transition to a climate-neutral Limerick is not something the Council can deliver alone. We must support households, communities and businesses in making that transition, while also creating new opportunities for investment, innovation and sustainable economic growth.

"Becoming a Mission Minded City will give Limerick greater access to the knowledge, partnerships and expertise needed to turn our climate ambition into practical action. It will also strengthen our ability to collaborate at national and European level as we work towards a more sustainable and resilient Limerick."

Limerick City and County Council's Climate Action Plan 2024–2029 sets the aim of becoming climate-resilient, biodiversity-rich, environmentally sustainable and climate-neutral by 2050. The invitation to become a Mission Minded City builds on this direction, linking Limerick with European partners working towards the same goal. The city has also signed the Cork Call to Action on Climate and Health and was accredited to the WHO European Healthy Cities and Counties Network in 2025, recognising the close ties between climate action, public health and community resilience.

Current initiatives include the Limerick Biodiversity Action Plan 2025–2030, the Limerick City and Environs Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy, the Community Climate Action Programme, ongoing expansion of the Active Travel network and the Limerick Going for Gold campaign.