Small walking street in Stockholm. Source: Gregor Ruttner, Flickr.com. https://www.flickr.com/photos/48545383@N05/4821220713/
On Nov. 30th, the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21), a eleven day conference dedicated to climate action, kicked off in Paris. Governing officials from hundreds of countries gathered together to agree upon actions that may prevent global temperatures from rising above 2°C. Most of the media attention has been placed on national decisions from big countries. Instead, we should turn our heads to the most inspiring stories on the city level.
Cities have a pivotal role in the climate discussion for two reasons: they are major contributors of greenhouse gas emissions and are also vulnerable to climate impacts. Cities consume 2/3 of the world’s energy and release over 70% of the global C02 emissions. Cities are also at high risk of sea level rise and coastal storms because 90% of the world’s urban areas are along coastlines. This means action taken at the city level can potentially have a huge impact for mitigation and adaptation.
As a result, city mayors from around the world came together to sign the Compact of Mayors. The Compact was launched at the 2014 United Nations Climate Summit to form a coalition of city leaders who pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, publicly track their progress, and prepare for climate impacts. Currently 366 cities have signed, representing 4.6% of the global population.
The goal of the Compact is to showcase local leadership and to accelerate international action. They hope to encourage national governments to actively support local action through strong, policy frameworks. To become members, cities must conduct four phases: register their commitment, take an emissions inventory, set emission reduction targets and assess climate vulnerabilities, and establish an action plan. Every year, cities must report their status and meet those phases within three years.
Ten cities have already completed the four phases in under one year. Stockholm is among the ten that shared its successes on December 4th at the Climate Summit for Local Leaders in Paris. This summit was the largest global convention of mayors, governors and local leaders ever assembled. It was co-hosted by Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of the City of Paris and Michael R. Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change.
Stockholm’s long-term vision is to be fossil fuel free by 2040. Planners hope to reduce the city’s carbon emissions to below zero by setting stringent building efficiency requirements, producing renewable energy, and promoting biking, walking, and public transport. These plans are already in motion. The country’s largest urban area, Stockholm Royal Seaport, is a community with 12,000 homes and 35,000 workspaces that plans to become carbon positive, meaning it will capture carbon rather than release it. The city has already invested in transportation. In 2012, 14% of all the vehicles ran on green fuels. Electric vehicles also have free parking and charging stations. Stockholm is considered one of the most walkable and bikeable cities. It has started many initiatives to reach these goals, including a bike sharing systems and a $140 million investment on bike infrastructure.
Cities like Stockholm will inspire nations to strive for carbon neutrality rather than view it as a burden. “Cities are where things happen”, says Michael R. Bloomberg, “If cities do something, heads of states will say, ‘Wait a second, we don’t want to be left out”. Cities are making big strides and their achievements are only growing. COP21 is not the end of climate action, so look to cities to lead the way.