City-Level Decoupling-Case Studies

determining municipality-specific targets for reducing local greenhouse gas emissions in both the short term (2-5 years) and the longer term (6-20 years). The most ambitious of the municipalities, Uusikaupunki, has declared a 30% emissions reduction target by 2012 from 2007 levels. The others have yet to determine their short-term reduction targets. A major initiative of the project involves the mobilization of a broad range of actors to reduce GHG emissions. Collaboration between businesses, local government and citizens is a novel approach compared to earlier efforts led mainly by local government initiatives.Within the municipalities, it is hoped that all target groups – municipal authorities, residents and businesses – will take action to reduce their GHG emissions in the first two years of the project. Such actions will include measures to save energy and improve energy efficiency in homes, public offices, companies and transportation, as well as measures to promote the production and use of renewable energy. The maintenance and enhancement of carbon sinks in the project localities will also be part of the project. The involvement of businesses has been crucial from the start of the project. Some 30 Finnish companies located outside the municipalities are involved in the project, contributing climate- friendly technologies and services. In fact, the partnering municipalities were chosen on the basis of their links to the project’s corporate participants. The project helps these companies to find customers in the municipalities. In addition, local companies play an important role in the project, joining in efforts to save energy and promote the use of renewable energy. Since the project relies on the successful mobilization of local actors, communication efforts are a very important part of the project. Overall, the project has attracted widespread media attention, which has been instrumental in meeting the project’s goals. At the beginning of 2009, public seminars were arranged in each municipality in order to explain the initial emission levels, the aims of the project, and the progress made. In addition, feedback from local people was gathered for planning the next steps of the project. To promote further action, information leaflets were prepared and thematic workshops on the food chain, energy efficiency in buildings, transportation, etc., were arranged in order to create new ideas for reducing the GHG emissions of the municipalities. In the initial phase of the project, The CANEMU municipalities and local businesses implemented 76 concrete actions. The most important of these included the construction of district heating plants and networks using wood-based fuels in three municipalities. For example, the municipality of Padasjoki switched from oil to wood-based district heating of its municipal buildings, resulting in cost savings of around € 200,000 (approximately US$260,000) a year and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 600 tonnes. Lifestyle-related changes included the introduction of climate-friendly vegetarian meals in municipal schools (in Mynämäki and Uusikaupunki) and an online car-pooling system for 'Green riders' (in Uusikaupunki). In the first two years of the project, the most successful of the five municipalities were able to reduce emissions by 10-15%. Based on a theoretical estimate, the CANEMU municipalities can achieve 80% emissions reductions even with present day technology and energy prices. About one third of the reduction can be achieved through energy efficiency measures alone and the rest by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy.

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