Climate Change in the Sustainable Urban Policies

Transcription

1 Climate Change in the Sustainable Urban Policies

2 The Climate and Urban Sustainability Climate action is at the very origin of local sustainable policies. It is still one of the most specific features of sustainable urban development. Why? 1989 (The Hague Conference) : European financial support for energy efficiency and renewable energies 1990 (first IPPC report): creation (formal or informal) of international networks of local authorities deeply engaged in climate change issues: ICLEI, Climate Alliance, Energie-Cit Cités Experimental policies of urban CO 2 reduction : climate policies, local agendas 21, sustainable urban planning, urban design and architecture, sustainable mobility // Theoretical definitions : a sustainable city is a city which does not export its costs to other people and other regions (Mitlin and Satterthwaite, 1994; Haughton and Hunter, 1994)

3 Climate Protection local policies : innovative problematics Energy decentralisation Short distance transportation of energy avoids dissipation Cities with a municipal or regional energy company are much more involved in innovative policies. Example : Grenoble (2 local energy companies) One of the most efficient systems to produce energy : small combined heat and power stations (Frankfort, Hanover) Research for energy autonomy // energy independence After the first petrol crisis : growth of renewable energies in north America, declining during the eighties; 20 years later, a similar boom in Europe. Some small territories (i.e. rural municipalities, sustainable neighbourhoods n like Västra V stra Hamnen, Malmö) ) are reaching energy autonomy A combination of all local sources of energy is necessary, including biogas from waste (failure of solar neighborhoods,, such as Nieuwland, Amersfoort) Exiting fossil fuels An idea coming from a small city, Övertornea, at the beginning of the eighties

4 Innovative policies : the first Urban CO 2 Reduction Plans Bologna (1995) Renewable energies and cogeneration, urban planning (functional mixity) Sirio system : video surveillance of cars in the city centre and circulation permits: never worked MicroKyoto Project (2002), Provincia di Bologna Hanover (1996, -7.5% CO ) Fund for Climate Protection (1998): 5 million euros per year inhabitants concerned by energy efficiency programs, partnership with enterprises Sustainable neighbourhood : Kronsberg : -75% CO2 Incentives for public institutions (such as schools) : campaign for sobriety, restitution and partially free use of the benefits gained by energy savings

5 Innovative policies : fossil fuel-free free cities (Vaxjö) Political program of the fossil-fuel fuel free city (1996) : Local energy company (VEAB) turned to bio-energy fuel (wood waste) for district heating after the fuel crisis (Sandvik( II 1997) Swedish Society for Nature Conservation: drove the LA 21 Bio-energy research centre : DME (2 generation biofuels) Municipal Policy : extension of district heating, incentives for renewable energies for housing, energy rehabilitation of social housing, high standards of energy consumption in new housing (110 kwh/m2/year) 2007: half of the city energy consumption coming from renewable energy. CO2 emissions for heating: - 60%, for mobility: + 20% tons CO2/inhabitant in 1993, 3700 tons in 2003, of which 2700 tons were due to transportation New policy: Sustainable Mobility: - 40% CO2 goal ( ). 25). Sought through DME and biofuels cars (Volvo: 700 jobs)

6 Innovative policies : fossil fuel-free free cities (Sweden) 1998 : Swedish Society for Nature Conservation founded the urban network Challenging Communities : Övertornea, Lund, Vaxjö, Säffle,, Uppsala, to extend the program of the fossil-fuel fuel free city 2001 : extension of the network to 16 Swedish cities and attachment to Climate Alliance Example : Stockholm : -25% CO 2 between 1996 and From 5.2 tons of CO 2 /inhabitant (1990) to 4 tons (2006): shift to bio-energy for district heating and public transportation (trains, subway) 2006 : the Prime Minister announces a national goal: exiting fossil fuels

7 Innovative policies : diminishing automobile dependence Policies of weaning people from cars? Offices of mobility : door-to to-door contacts with inhabitants in order to constitute test groups : : modal shift in favour of bicycles or public transportation; systematic contact with inhabitants who have moved, to advocate modal shift; pedestrian bus and bicycle bus development; door-to to-door bus services LA 21: incentives for car sharing, for groups of volunteers to give up cars, Soft measures are rendering hard measures more efficient Sustainable neighbourhood : restriction on parking spaces, distance between home and parking, car sharing, tram, extensive pedestrian zones, streets as playgrounds for children

8 And the French cities? : Cité-Vie Charters, Aténée e Contracts (ADEME) : consciousness-raising 2005 : first local Climate Plans. Grenoble : CO2 emissions stabilisation in 2010 to the level of Nantes : 50% reduction for buildings and transportation from 2006 to Chalon sur Saône : -11% from 2003 to 2005 in municipal patrimony (Besan( Besançon: - 40% energy savings) Large heterogeneity of policies (goals, timing, year of reference, political tools, ) Mobility : trams : more about quality of urban and public spaces than climate protection issues Dunkirk: thermographic map of the city (2004) and social loans for thermal isolation of housing

9 Lessons learned 1. High efficiency of small combined heat and power stations 2. Important energy savings in new buildings. However: de-co co- housing, growing size of houses, electrification of domestic goods, multi-housing, and growing energy consumption 3. Progress of low impact transportation in cities (dense areas). However: boom of inter-city mobility (goods and persons) and airplane traffic + strong symbolic attachment to the automobile ( your( car is your castle ) 4. Growth of renewable and substitution energies (such as natural gas). However: declining ratio of renewable energies in energy consumption in most of the EU countries Climate Protection Plans : difficult reduction of CO 2,, despite strong political involvement, sometimes

10 Consequences : the necessity for moderation of energy consumption 35-40% of the answer to climate change (B. Dessus) Some open questions : Are urban morphologies more significant for CO2 emissions than lifestyles, cultures, wealth levels? Can we reach a factor 4 4 goal simply by decoupling economic growth and energy consumption growth? In terms of mobility, how can we reach a short distance city for goods and persons? Urban and spatial planning is one of the weak points of urban sustainability policies What are the paths to a moderation of energy consumption at the local level?

11 Thank you Cyria Emelianoff University of Maine