Helsinki authorities announced that under the “carbon neutral” strategy, the greenhouse gas emissions from transport system will be reduced by 69 percent until 2035. This will be achieved by increasing the market share of sustainable transport modes, regulation, and electric vehicles which are projected to represent 30 percent of the total fleet in 2035.
“Helsinki can achieve its goal in transport, which is much stricter than the national goal, owing to the increasing density in our urban structure. Helsinki has excellent opportunities to promote public transport, walking, and cycling,” Esa Nikunen, the Director General of Helsinki Environment Services said.
The “Carbon Neutral Helsinki 2035” strategy was completed by a city’s expert group. The plan details how to reduce energy consumption and how to increase on-site renewable energy generation in the city. The plan will be implemented side by side with a programme to render the city’s centralized energy production carbon neutral.
In September 2017, Helsinki reset the city’s target year for carbon neutrality to 2035, speeding up the goal by 15 years from the earlier target year 2050. An interim goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent from 1990 to 2030.
“Carbon Neutral Helsinki 2035” contains 143 actions that enable Helsinki to reach the ambitious goals,” Esa Nikunen said.
Helsinki’s definition of carbon neutrality is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated within the city borders by 80 percent and to offset the rest.
With the city’s emission reduction programmes launched so far, Helsinki has cut carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent from 1990, that is, by 1,000 kilotons per year (kt/a) but needs to cut an additional 2,000 kt/a, in order to go down to targeted 700 kt/a, which will be offset.
The Carbon Neutral Helsinki 2035 action plan, together with the effects of Helsinki’s emission reduction programs launched so far, will represent 52 percent of the total cuts in the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
The City Council will have to take the final decision on the action plan.
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