Last Updated on 10/09/2024 by Arun jain
Cities are the engine room — consuming 65% of the planet’s energy and producing 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for warming the planet.
And that’s often one of its biggest casualties: residents are trapped in a dense, concrete environment by the “heat island effect.”
By 2050, urban populations are expected to double, which means cities could balloon unless we reconfigure the way we plan, power and move around them.
Can European cities lead climate action?
As part of an EU initiative, 112 cities hope to take on the challenge.
100 from across the European Union and 12 from associated countries such as the United Kingdom and Turkey were quickly selected to receive support in their efforts.
and ensure that any unavoidable emissions can be absorbed or removed by nature. In other words, reach by 2030.
By comparison, most of the world’s countries are falling short of the 45% reduction in emissions that scientists say is necessary by the end of the decade if the world is to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change.
Mission cities receive technical help and support to attract investment. They are also encouraged to develop a detailed roadmap, which will require an estimated €650 billion (over $700 billion) in investments to achieve, mostly from the private sector.
Thomas Osdoba, program director of NetZeroCities, an EU-funded project supporting the cities’ mission, says many of those selected share the same challenges. These include old buildings that are difficult to retrofit, car-centric urban planning, limited as well as national policy constraints and slow investment cycles.
Helsinki closed coal plants
However, Osdoba highlighted the Finnish capital of Helsinki as a leading example of turning climate ambitions into reality.
While Finland has committed to climate neutrality by 2035, Helsinki aims to reach this through an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2030. So far, emissions in the city have nearly halved since 1990.
As is the case, heating is Helsinki’s main source of emissions. In the coming year, after closing the second of its two coal-fired plants, the Finnish capital plans to reduce its heating emissions and use electric boilers, bioenergy and .
The company in charge of district heating is owned by Helsinki, and the decision to close the plant shows how “agile” cities can be in climate action, explains Hanna Veslin, Climate Director of the City of Helsinki.
The capital also aims to tackle transport, the second largest emission source, by promoting use and developing a charging network, as well as expanding its public tramway system.
Free public transport for young people in Porto
In Porto, a coastal city in northwest Portugal, changing attitudes towards public transport is a big focus, explained Filipe Araujo, the city’s vice-president responsible for the environment and climate transition office. Transportation accounts for 40% of the city’s emissions. Araujo said the biggest investment in the coming years will be in mobility, including expanding the metro system with two new lines and making 40% of public buses electric by 2027.
He added that lowering the price of a monthly transport pass to €30 and making it free for under-23s had a major impact, with the number of 13-18-year-olds using public transport doubling in recent years.
Porto has tried to reduce its energy consumption. For example, switching to LEDs in street lighting more than halves energy use. And while overall, Portugal produced a record 60% of its electricity last year, Araujo said his goal is to “generate more energy in the city.”
He said most public buildings such as schools and libraries now have solar panels, and the city is encouraging the private sector to invest more in solar by offering property tax incentives.
Porto is also investing to ensure all social housing can generate its own energy, Araujo added. “This is very important for us because it also tackles energy poverty.”
Millions of people across Europe cannot afford enough energy to adequately power basic services such as heating, hot water and lighting in their homes.
Green houses and streets in Leuven, Belgium
Leuven, Belgium, may be one of the smaller mission cities but already 10 years in development is moving quickly on the plan, Osdoba says.
Leuven’s climate neutral mission leader Jesse van Kouwenberg says the city has worked hard to engage all elements of society so there is a sense of ownership in its plans.
As currently the largest source of energy consumption in Leuven is heating buildings, the city is prioritizing recovery and promoting renewable equipment. As part of this, Leuven has created a “climate house”, which people can visit for information on renovating their homes, including advice on where to get subsidies.
And while massive emissions cuts are needed, it’s also paying attention to what’s happening street by street.
For local communities this includes grants for projects related to nature-based solutions and asking the public to suggest areas for so-called depaving, with carbon-absorbing plants and soil.
Can cities do it?
But with only a few years to go and most of the funds yet to be invested, how realistic are these goals?
Osdoba is optimistic that the good number will reach net zero by 2030, and those who will be closer than those who will not.
Warsaw, one of the five Polish cities on the EU mission, is a case in point.
“Frankly, it’s impossible for us to be climate neutral by 2030,” said Jacek Kisiel, deputy director of Warsaw’s air protection and climate policy department, adding that the city depends on a state-owned heating network powered by fossil fuels, which continues to run. Most produce.
“But still, we have ambitions,” Kissel said.
He has high hopes for a proposed green construction standard that would require all new city buildings to be powered by renewables and collect and reuse rainwater. Warsaw also aims to retrofit 40% of city-owned buildings by 2035 so that they use less energy.
Edited by: Tamsin Walker
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