Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improving Air Quality
98
98
to 2005 levels, with the majority of the 66 initiatives in the first plan having
been implemented. Streetlamps, for example, have been replaced with
LED lights. There is a periodic review and revision of this plan, and total
emissions are reviewed and benchmarked for each year. Electric buses have
been purchased and put into use. Efforts are being made to improve bicycle
lanes to encourage more bike transportation. In many Copenhagen locations,
there are lanes for walking, other lanes for biking, and other lanes for motor
vehicles (Lipton et al., 2018).
Paris adopted a climate action plan in 2007 to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by 25% by 2020, and to reduce emissions by 75% by 2050 relative
to 2004. Work was started in 2016 on a new climate action plan that includes
a goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050 in central Paris and an 80% reduction
of the carbon footprint of the greater Paris area by 2050. All energy is to come
from renewable sources by 2050 (Lipton et al., 2018).
New York City has a plan to align itself with the Paris Agreement. This
plan includes 30 near- term actions, to be started by 2020, with the goal of
reducing carbon emissions. Carbon emissions savings potential and the
potential benefits, costs, and feasibility were considered in developing this
plan. Growth, equity, sustainability, and resilience were also city goals that
were used, along with 13 potential benefits, such as quality jobs and workforce development in prioritizing options (Lipton et al., 2018).
Oslo, Norway has a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 36% by
2020, and 95% by 2030. Transportation, energy and buildings, and resources
(water and waste) are all included in the plan. Transportation is the most
important element for the Oslo plan because 60% of the city’s carbon
emissions are associated with transit, and there is a good understanding of
how to reduce emissions. Energy and buildings account for 20% of Oslo’s
carbon emissions, and here there is an effort to reduce the use of energy
from fossil fuels by replacing it with electricity from hydro power (Lipton
et al., 2018).
Stockholm, Sweden has a goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions
by 2040. The target for 2020 is to reach the equivalent of 2.2 tons of carbon
dioxide emissions per resident, per year. Reduced use of energy in buildings
and the electrification of transportation are important elements of this overall
goal. Differentiated taxes may be introduced to encourage use of EVs (Lipton
et al., 2018).
Policies across all cities are important with respect to energy use in
buildings, because heating, air conditioning, lighting, electrical appliances,
and communication devices all use energy. The most important policy issue
on this front is building energy codes, because insulation in high- quality
buildings with good energy performance requirements helps to reduce
energy use in buildings. Generally speaking, energy efficiency requirements
for appliances, motors, and electronic equipment have the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption. The carbon emissions associated with
buildings in the residential sector are about 17% of global emissions.
98
98
to 2005 levels, with the majority of the 66 initiatives in the first plan having
been implemented. Streetlamps, for example, have been replaced with
LED lights. There is a periodic review and revision of this plan, and total
emissions are reviewed and benchmarked for each year. Electric buses have
been purchased and put into use. Efforts are being made to improve bicycle
lanes to encourage more bike transportation. In many Copenhagen locations,
there are lanes for walking, other lanes for biking, and other lanes for motor
vehicles (Lipton et al., 2018).
Paris adopted a climate action plan in 2007 to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by 25% by 2020, and to reduce emissions by 75% by 2050 relative
to 2004. Work was started in 2016 on a new climate action plan that includes
a goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050 in central Paris and an 80% reduction
of the carbon footprint of the greater Paris area by 2050. All energy is to come
from renewable sources by 2050 (Lipton et al., 2018).
New York City has a plan to align itself with the Paris Agreement. This
plan includes 30 near- term actions, to be started by 2020, with the goal of
reducing carbon emissions. Carbon emissions savings potential and the
potential benefits, costs, and feasibility were considered in developing this
plan. Growth, equity, sustainability, and resilience were also city goals that
were used, along with 13 potential benefits, such as quality jobs and workforce development in prioritizing options (Lipton et al., 2018).
Oslo, Norway has a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 36% by
2020, and 95% by 2030. Transportation, energy and buildings, and resources
(water and waste) are all included in the plan. Transportation is the most
important element for the Oslo plan because 60% of the city’s carbon
emissions are associated with transit, and there is a good understanding of
how to reduce emissions. Energy and buildings account for 20% of Oslo’s
carbon emissions, and here there is an effort to reduce the use of energy
from fossil fuels by replacing it with electricity from hydro power (Lipton
et al., 2018).
Stockholm, Sweden has a goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions
by 2040. The target for 2020 is to reach the equivalent of 2.2 tons of carbon
dioxide emissions per resident, per year. Reduced use of energy in buildings
and the electrification of transportation are important elements of this overall
goal. Differentiated taxes may be introduced to encourage use of EVs (Lipton
et al., 2018).
Policies across all cities are important with respect to energy use in
buildings, because heating, air conditioning, lighting, electrical appliances,
and communication devices all use energy. The most important policy issue
on this front is building energy codes, because insulation in high- quality
buildings with good energy performance requirements helps to reduce
energy use in buildings. Generally speaking, energy efficiency requirements
for appliances, motors, and electronic equipment have the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption. The carbon emissions associated with
buildings in the residential sector are about 17% of global emissions.