The Port of Gothenburg is currently investing in solar power panels. A 250 square metre solar panel array has been installed on the roof of the head office. It is the most efficient solar panel facility in western Sweden and The Port of Gothenburg expects to generate 55 megawatt-hours of electricity each year and save SEK 60,000 in energy costs each year.
Read More Read LessThere is an ongoing work with making existing residence and other buildings more energy efficient. This is also done as a constant work through the Energy Effiency Strategy
The City of Gothenburg manages more than 70000 apartments. When renovation of municipal residential buildings is completed the result is usually an energy reduction of nearly half the energy use for heating and building on average.
For several years streets in central Gothenburg have been converted into “walk-speed streets”, which means that vehicles must adapt to the speed of pedestrians. In recent years, the same concept is used for cyclists on two main streets where vehicles now have to adapt to the cyclists' speed. These “cycle-speed streets” are redesigned to promote cyclists to use all of the streets for cycling, and to promote car- and truck drivers to adapt their speed and driving behavior to the cyclists. Evaluations show that both cyclists and motorists are more satisfied after the transformation into cycle-speed streets. In the future more streets will be designed this way.
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The EU-GUGLE project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of nearly-zero energy building renovation models in view of triggering large-scale, Europe-wide replication in smart cities and communities by 2020. Over the 5 years of the projects, eight European cities will join efforts to combine the latest research results relevant to smart renovation of groups of buildings at district level and use this knowledge to renovate 226.000m² of living space. By implementing a balanced mix of technical, socio-economic and financial solutions adapted to local needs, the participating cities aim to achieve 40 to 80 percent primary energy savings per pilot district while increasing the share of renewable energy sources by 25percent by the end of the project. The main output will be the integration of the results into comprehensive ’smart renovation strategies’ that will be easily transposable to other municipalities.
In Gothenburg, the district Hammarkullen, with 7,800 inhabitants, is as many other housing areas built under the “Million homes program” from the late 1960s to early 1970s stigmatized as a neighborhood with large-scale buildings and social problems. Within the EU-GUGLE project, Gothenburg will address the challenge to break the stigma of the area so that people want to stay here even when they have the opportunity to move somewhere else.
The CELSIUS project is co-funded by the European Union and is focused on district heating and cooling demonstration projects (demonstrators). Gothenburg is the lead partner and the other partner cities are Cologne, Genoa, London and Rotterdam. The innovative demonstrators aim to show how intelligent district heating and cooling systems can make a positive contribution to developing secure, affordable and low carbon energy systems within a city. With a goal of 50 new cities committing to the CELSIUS roadmap, the project wants to help cities from across the EU to understand and embrace the role that district heating and cooling systems can play in a city’s future sustainable energy system.
Read More Read LessGothenburg is currently the scene of ElectriCity – an exciting cooperative venture bringing together industry, research and society in the development and testing of new solutions for next-generation sustainable public transport. Since June 2015 the new bus-route 55 offers quiet, exhaust-free buses that pick up passengers indoors and are powered by electricity from renewable sources. On board the buses, passengers have free access to the latest technology.
Read More Read LessThe City of Gothenburg has started to add special “green transport plans” to the city planning process. When certain new or reconstructed city areas are planned, all key players such as construction companies, offices, employers, property owners and traffic planners are developing a plan to minimize the need of car travels and goods deliverances to the areas.
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Gothenburg was first in Sweden to test large-scale textile collection for reuse and recycling of clothing and fabrics. The possibility of giving away used textiles was tested in a number of housing areas where a total of 5000 tenants could leave their textiles close to home. The aim of the project was to investigate the practical possibilities of large-scale collection, which could eventually lead to a system in all residential buildings.
The project was completed in February 2015 and more than 32 000 kg textiles were collected within the project. The conclusion is that the concept increases collection of textiles significantly. The municipal housing company who own the dwellings will continue to collect textiles after the project. The project allows for both locally based social projects and aid projects in other countries.
It is an energy consuming process to produce and distribute energy, as heat, electricity and biogas. Therefore the municipal company Göteborg Energy is working continuously for reducing its own energy consumption in every process. Their target is energy losses below 3 percent per year, or 10-15 GWh by year 2025. Examples of measures that have already reduced the energy losses is replacing older devices in the electricity grids and building more effective transformers. Only renewable eco-labeled energy is used to compensate the energy losses is the distribution net.
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In order to know if we reach our local Environmental Objectives an annual follow-up is made in the Environmental Report. An assessment is made to determine whether each local objectives will be reached or not and if the trend is positive, neutral or negative. The assessment is based on about 180 indicators; periodic environmental data. The Environmental Report has been published annually since the early 90's to describe the state of the environment in Gothenburg, not only in the municipality but in the entire community. The report has been given a more distinct function as follow-up tool since all the local Environmental Objectives were adopted by the City Council in 2011. One of the twelve local Environmental Objectives is Reduced Climate Impact. The follow-up shows that the objective is very difficult to reach.
The results from the Environmental report are spread in many ways including the website, an easy-to-read booklet and an annual seminar.
Many events in Gothenburg have reduced their environmental impact thanks to the Environment Diploma for Events, a certification managed by the City of Gothenburg. In 2015 at least eight events will be certified, meaning that a number of environmental requirements must be met.
It's not only events that are certified with The Environment Diploma. More than 200 companies and 300 of the municipal activities are certified in Gothenburg. The certification involves environmental staff training and measures to reduce travel, transport and energy consumption etcetera.
In three demonstration projects in the city centre, the city has gathered many participants in a collaborate project to create more sustainable transport solutions. The goods distributors have changed their deliverances to a micro hub, from where it is distributed with a small electrical vehicle to the end users.
Another project aims to reduce the number of deliverances of goods to different municipal addresses. This shall be achieved by a separate procurement for goods deliverances from a central hub.
Well-being in sustainable cities (WISE) is a joint project between academia and public organizations, where the result has been of great importance for efforts to reduce climate change in the City of Gothenburg. Thanks to new and locally based research, different scenarios for the carbon footprint from local consumption have been quantified for the first time, as well as effects of a sustainable lifestyle on quality of life. The results in the report “Low-carbon Gothenburg 2.0” have gained attention nationally and served as a basis for the Climate Programme (see other action). For example, the program sets targets and strategies to reduce the carbon footprint from consumption, food and air travel.
One of the starting points for the WISE project is to investigate whether a low carbon society can be achieved with maintained levels of human well-being? Can well-being even be a driving force for sustainable development? The overall objective of the project is to facilitate the transition towards ecologically sustainable cities. The aim is that the results should support local and regional decision makers in taking major steps for well-being and sustainability. The WISE project also generate a number of scientific papers.
The WISE project has recently been awarded funds for the period 2016-2019. Future work will among other things include research on how to achieve targets and strategies linked to climate impact from air travel and promotion of sustainable activities.
The Reuse room in the district of Haga in Gothenburg is a meeting point where old things can be given away and find new owners. Since 2014 tenants from 85 apartments can leave or take furniture and other useful things close to where they live. Similar rooms have already opened in other parts of Gothenburg by Bostadsbolaget and other municipal property managers, and more are planned. The concept can serve as a model for how waste from households can be reduced and hopefully become standard in residential areas. The Department of Sustainable Water and Waste Management has made a brochure which explains how to start and run a Reuse Room.
Read More Read LessThe Green IT Homes solution combines home automation and energy consumption visualization into one user friendly system that can be accessed everywhere through a mobile device in “real-time”. The system has been tested during the developing phase in about 10 households with good results. A second test period is right now ongoing with 30 Houses. The application visualizes the whole energy consumption of the house, bout electrical energy and energy from district heating in the same application. This helps the costumer to understand where he or she can make the most efficient savings by making small changes in their behavior.
Read More Read LessThe current parking policy was approved in 2009. The parking policy aims to reduce commuting by car to and from Gothenburg, reduce the number of cars in street areas and encourage cycling and car sharing by prioritizing their parking needs. Positive effects expected are reduced car use, increased availability for commercial traffic and visitors, and a more attractive urban environment. Compared with previous parking policies, the current one is meant to be used as a tool for sustainable urban development.
The parking policy aims to retain the same number of car spaces for the city centre, whilst reducing space-demanding surface. This will create more space for public transport and cycling and allow squares, streets and quays to be converted into attractive thoroughfares and meeting places. The costs for street parking will increase, so that fewer will park in the streets and more in parking buildings. More parking places are also arranged close to bus stops and train stations in the suburban areas, to make it easier for car travelers to commute by public transport to the city centre.
As a complement to the policy parking provision is used in spatial planning. The effects differ by how you regulate parking for residents, visitors and workplaces. On the one hand parking provision aims to ensure that residents can have access to 24-hour spaces which eliminates the need to move the car and thus reduces unnecessary car use. On the other hand the number of parking spaces for residents is lower in areas with good public transport. The number of car parks at workplaces will be reduced substantially if they are easy to reach by public transport.
The City Council has made an assignment that the current guidelines concerning parking space in new buildings should be updated to reflect the new Transport Strategy (see other action) in a better way. This is because a lower proportion of parking lots are needed in certain urban exploitation areas as a result of increased possibilities to travel by public transport and bike, and also as a measurement to reduce the demand of car travels in urban areas of Gothenburg.
In 2000, the Port of Gothenburg was the first in the world to offer Onshore Power Supply (OPS) with high-voltage. In 2011, a further step was taken towards cleaner shipping when Stena Line began operating a new OPS facility for the company's new ferries used on the route to Germany. What is unique about this facility is that it transforms the standard frequency of 50 hertz for alternating current in Europe to 60 hertz, which the majority of vessels use as a system frequency.
Read More Read LessThe Environmental Administration has developed a web-based, environmental training course aimed at employees of the City of Gothenburg's administrations and companies. The course aims to increase knowledge of Gothenburg's environmental objectives and the environmental impact and provide practical tips on what to do to reduce the environmental impact
The course has a clear City of Gothenburg perspective and is designed specifically to fit the municipality's activities. To get an introduction a short film has been produced about the municipality´s environmental work. So far approximately 2,000 employees have completed the web-based course.
In addition to the web-based training course the administrations and companies were also offered an extended education led by experienced environmental educators. In parallel to the training program a booklet has been developed that describes the city's environmental objectives, environmental measures and more.
The City of Gothenburg offers advice on energy and climate issues free of charge to the public, associations, business and organizations. The aim with the advice service is to provide people with information that empower them to make choices that reduce their energy consumption and hence the impact on the climate and environment.
In 2014 the energy advisors started to actively offer companies and organizations advice on site. These kind of advisory reduce the energy usage in the company by approximately 10-15 percent.
The West Swedish Agreement is a series of infrastructure initiatives for trains, busses, trams, bicycles and cars stretching to around 2028 which will contribute to positive and sustainable growth in West Sweden. The West Swedish agreement is agreed on by political leaders in the municipality, the region and the Swedish Government. In 20 years, investment in tunnels, roads, public transport, cycling and safer traffic environment shall increase the share of sustainable transport from 25 per cent (in 2005) to approximately 40 per cent (2025) in the region.
These initiatives will make it easier to get around, will lead to better and more attractive public transport, more reliable transport for business and industry and expanded commuting services for everyone living, working or studying throughout West Sweden. And a good environment.
The West Swedish Agreement costs SEK 34 billion (4,9 billion USD), most of which will be invested in better public transport system. 50 per cent of the financing comes from Region Västra Götaland, Region Halland and the City of Gothenburg along with income from congestion tax in Gothenburg. State funding finances the remaining 50 per cent. The congestion tax (see other action) is one of the main ingredients, making it possible to finance the projects but also to achieve a more sustainable and efficient transport situation in the city.
The West Swedish Agreement includes new allocated bus lanes, longer commuter train platforms, new commuter parking for bicycles and cars, footpaths and bicycle paths and improved traffic information as well as a new road tunnel under the Göta Älv river (Marieholm Tunnel), a rail tunnel under Gothenburg called the West Link (SEK 20 billion) and a new bridge over the Göta Älv river.
Within the project, there will also be launched mobility management-measures such as informing enterprises and the public, especially where and when the streets are affected by construction projects, campaigns for a more sustainable transport behavior, and information about the new possibilities that are offered to travel fast, safe and sustainable by the ongoing projects.
REturen is a creative recycling center for children and students that started 2015 in one of the ten districts in Gothenburg. REturen take care of residual materials donated from local stores and industries and the material becomes creative teaching aids for the schools and preschools. The center serves as a meeting point where the visitors can develop in a way that favors social, ecological and economic sustainability. The operations are intended to help reduce material consumption, increase recycling and knowledge of materials.
The project is inspired by Remida Center in Italy but the model in Gothenburg has evolved a step further by using recycled materials together with modern technical equipment. The project is ongoing in 2015, but will hopefully be a part of the regular activities from 2016. REturen can also serve as a model for the other nine districts of Gothenburg in the future.
One of the targets in the The Climate Programme for Gothenburg is to produce at least 500 GWh of renewable electricity by 2030. The target will be achieved primarily with production of electricity from wind, solar and biomass. A good example of what has already been done is “Big Glenn”, the largest wind turbine in Sweden which was installed in port of Gothenburg in 2012. In 2014, Göteborg Energi produced 81 GWh of wind power including turbines located outside the municipality.
In recent years the wind power expansion in Sweden has slowed significantly due to falling market prices of electricity and green certificates which makes the investments unprofitable. In addition an offshore wind power location outside Gothenburg, which has been under development for the last seven years, was recently declined license according to environmental legislation and will not be realized. A parallel planning track to increase the renewable energy in the city is to build a bio based CHP plant which would provide both renewable heat and electricity.
The Energy Efficiency Strategy was initiated due to a national energy efficiency program aimed to help municipalities reduce their use of energy in housing and transport. The program originates from the Energy Efficiency Directive in EU. The aim is to provide support to start up work on energy efficiency between 2011 and 2014.
In Gothenburg the municipal companies that own residential and commercial buildings and the Traffic Administration are involved in the project. The participants have set individual targets for 2014 and 2020 and there are also overall targets for all participants. The targets are monitored annually and reported to the Swedish Energy Agency.
In the beginning of the project a strategy was formulated to reduce energy use in municipally owned buildings and the city’s transports (se uploaded file). The targets and the strategy have been adopted by the City Council. The Environment Administration is responsible for the project together with two working groups (one for buildings and one for transport) consisting of representatives from the involved parties.
The national funding to municipalities for energy efficiency work ended in 2015, but the City of Gothenburg has chosen to continue to follow up the targets and keep the networks. Nowadays the follow-up also relates to the energy target in the Climate Programme (see other action), which means a 10 percent reduction in energy consumption by 2030 covering all energy use within the city limits. For municipal buildings the ambitions is higher, as shown in the Annex to the Climate Programme. For both commercial and residential properties owned by the city the target means an energy reduction of approximately 30 percent.
Targets in the Energy Efficiency Strategy:
• By 2014 energy use (kWh/square meter) in commercial and residential premises owned by the city will have been reduced by 7 % compared to 2009.
• By 2020 energy use (kWh/square meter) in commercial and residential premises owned by the city will have been reduced by 15 % compared to 2009.
• By 2014 the use of energy in the city’s own transports has been reduced by 3 % compared to 2009.
• By 2020 the use of energy in the city’s own transports has been reduced by 7 % compared to 2009.
One of the most important long-term measures to meet the climate challenge is to locate new developments and infrastructure so the city becomes more dense and connected. A well-planned city makes it easy to travel, live and work sustainably. Today the City of Gothenburg has agreements, plans and programmes at several geographic levels and areas which make it possible to create a more sustainable urban structure.
Read More Read LessKvillebäcken is Gothenburg’s new sustainable urban district. The municipally owned company Älvstranden Utveckling AB and seven other real estate developers are managing the project together in a joint venture. Together a program for sustainability has been worked out and Kvillebäcken is the first district in Gothenburg implementing the city's Programme for environmentally-adapted construction. All buildings are environmentally-certified. Examples of innovative elements include safe bicycle wardrobes, short term energy storage in buildings to even out the district heating requirement and vacuum systems that handle waste and recyclable materials. During the construction time empty areas are being used for urban farming by private individuals and restaurants. An innovation platform is under development with Business Region Göteborg to promote commercially-driven environmental development and knowledge dissemination.
From spring 2016 there will be an electric cargo bike pool in Kvillebäcken and it will be possible for visitors to get guidance in Kvillebäcken as a part of the Green Gothenburg visit program.
With the project Earn A Bike young people is given the opportunity to renovate a bicycle that have been thrown away, which they then take over. Earn A Bike is a concept used in cities in the United States and now it is tested in Gothenburg. The project is run by the municipal property manager Familjebostäder, who has opened a bicycle repair shop where the area's young people can get guidance, borrow tools and spare parts and in the end have their own bicycle. The district Bergsjön today lacks a "bike culture" while in other districts a lot of bikes are being thrown. The idea is simply to let the young people renovate and earn a cycle that would otherwise be thrown away and at the same time do something good for the environment.
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The City Premises Administration in Gothenburg builds and manages public premises for the municipality eg schools, preschools and retirement homes. The high ambition for the construction and renovation of properties means that the City of Gothenburg today is a leader in Sweden in terms of energy efficiency. Today the City of Gothenburg builds the largest number of low energy preschools in Sweden and has an ambitious plan for existing buildings to be renovated in an energy efficient manner. The work includes training and support for tenants, pupils and staff and continuous development where new technologies are tested and evaluated eg Net Zero Preschool and Positive Energy School.
Read More Read LessThe municipality has set energy and other environmental requirements that have to be achieved in new construction projects. The energy requirements are considerably higher than national mandatory building regulations. Around 2000 dwellings are built every year in Gothenburg and about 60 per cent of these are built on municipal land and therefore have to meet the energy requirements.
Read More Read LessThere are various climate targets to be achieved within the municipal organization in Gothenburg. Firstly, the local Environment objectives for Reduced Climate Impact (se other action) apply to the entire community, which includes the local government. In the annual budget of City of Gothenburg there are several prioritized goals linked to climate change. In addition there are specific goals for energy efficiency, transportation, food and construction that specifically apply to the municipal organization.
Read More Read LessThe purpose with this project was to create a GIS-based approach to calculate potential energy from roof installed solar panels in urban areas. A rasterbased global shadow casting algorithm is the base for a tool called Solar Energy from Existing Structures (SEES). Making use of a 2D raster-based approach large areas can be examined. Using this method we created a map over central Gothenburg that covers an area of 36 km².
In 2014, the municipal company Göteborg Energi received funds earmarked for implementing the environmental program (see other action) to expand the map to about 200 km². The initiative also includes the use of new data to improve the quality of the map. During 2015 the map will be supplemented with a search function, which will make it possible to look for a certain address.
The tool is available on Göteborg Energi's homepage and property owners can use it to get information about the property's roof space and solar radiation in a normal year. Funding was provided by SolEl-programmet, Gothenburg Energy Research Fund, Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland and the City Planning Office, City of Gothenburg.
The map is a free non-profit service to encourage initiatives to produce solar energy in Gothenburg. There is yet no follow-up showing the effects given by the map.
The bike sharing “Styr & Ställ” has evolved into a success since it began in 2011. It allows you to borrow bikes for a small fee from 60 bike stations in the city centre. Since the bike sharing began in 2011, over one million trips have been undertaken. The flexibility offered by Styr & Ställ is huge, with more than 1,000 bikes and stations no more than 300 meters apart, where you can drop off and pick up bikes. The area with bikes has been extended from the city center every year with new stations. This has led to better accessibility for visitors and commuters.
Read More Read LessIn the project GreenhackGBG we encourage citizens of Gothenburg to live a greener, healthier and fuller life. We provide a forum for participants to share their tips and ideas by using social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The name “Greenhack” alludes to the phenomena “lifehacks” where people share smart tricks on the internet covering all walks of life.
In the project “Living Life” which the city of Gothenburg pursued between 2010 and 2011, eleven families were challenged to implement sustainable lifestyles. GreenhackGBG started up in January 2015 and has the same base concept as in the ”Living Life” project, but there is no limit to the number of participants.
We start up the month by arranging seminars for the participants to get inspiration and to learn more about the environmental theme of the month. We also release the challenges of the month on our website and inform through our newsletter and social media channels. The social media used channels that open up for the participants to contribute with their knowledge and provide tangible tips to others, and to spread these further in their networks. The goal is to have at least 5000 participants by the end of the year 2015.
The next step is the web service Svalna that will be available to the participants in GreenhackGBG. Svalna is a voluntary web service which provides individuals a picture of their own climate impact based on their consumption. Svalna uses transaction data from the user's online banking to categorize purchases and calculate greenhouse gas emissions. The service has been developed by Chalmers University of Technology.
STEP UP was an energy and sustainable city planning project that aims to assist cities enhance their Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) and to integrate energy planning into their city planning. The STEP UP project brings together four ambitious, European cities (Ghent, Glasgow, Gothenburg and Riga). STEP UP’s impact for Gothenburg includes an updated and enhanced version of the Covenant of Mayors SEAP adapted to the new Climate Programme and a number of new models and tools in urban planning (energy consumption, smart urban logistics and sustainable lifestyle)
Read More Read LessHeavy road traffic is particularly noticeable in Gothenburg, which has the biggest port in the Nordic region and a lot of industry. The transport sector has increased climate emissions for a long time. But there are examples which indicate that it is possible to break the trend – rail shuttles to and from the port is one such.
The Port of Gothenburg is investing heavily in increasing the proportion of goods carried by train. In 2000, a total of 22 percent of all containers were transported to and from the port by train. In 2013, the proportion was 48 percent. This positive development is due to a system of rail shuttles that the Port of Gothenburg has built up together with railway operators and others.
At present, there are some 25 daily rail shuttles between the Port of Gothenburg and towns and cities throughout Sweden and Norway. The development of the rail shuttles is a very focused initiative taken by the Port of Gothenburg and got underway properly in 2002.
The rail shuttles result in reduced environmental impact. Some 61,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide were saved during 2012 by moving the goods to and from the Port of Gothenburg by rail instead of by road. This is equivalent to over 200,000 flights between Gothenburg and Stockholm or the emissions generated by 23,000 passenger cars in one year.
The City Council in Gothenburg has decided to investigate the basis for creating a climate protocol in Gothenburg. The Idea is to have a partnership between the city and the companies for reduction of their emissions of greenhouse gases. A pilot study has been made where existing similar initiatives are described and compared as well as investigations on international networks and reporting systems for companies that the local climate protocol could be linked to. The study will be completed in 2015 and work as a basis for decisions of the City Executive Board.
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During 2014 and 2015, the City of Gothenburg has adopted two strategic programmes with long term goals for travels, environment and accessability; the Transport Strategy and the Cycling Programme.
Read More Read LessSchool as is an important target group for the City of Gothenburg to reduce waste and to increase recycling and reuse. We offer different materials or field trips depending of age and interest, in some cases by visiting schools if they have a special request. The main themes are water, sewage, waste and sustainable consumption.
Examples of field trips are Sewage plant (a guided tour, film and discussions) and Environment and waste (visiting an incineration plant). A number of books have been developed. One of them is Cayman’s Birthday. All books and field trips are free of charge.
The Environmental Programme includes an action plan with more than 200 specific measures connected to all the local environmental objectives, including Reduced Climate Impact (se other action). In Gothenburg there are already clear Local Environmental Objectives that describe the quality and state of the environment we want to reach (see other action). In the Environmental Programme, we take the next step and focus on the actions needed.
We are proud to point out concrete practicable measures that show what we together must do in Gothenburg to become an environmentally sustainable city. The Environmental Programme includes an action plan with 212 concrete, specific measures with a responsible department or municipal company to perform each measure. The majority of the measures are in some way linked to our climate work. The program will be completed by 2020.
A follow-up is made annually and every four years the program will be revised. A year and a half after the Environmental Programme was adopted, three-quarters of the actions have been initiated or completed. A first revision will be made in 2016, which makes it possible to bring in further concrete measures needed in the coming years to reach the climate targets.
Concerning the budget it is up to every company and department to deliver the actions within the time frame, but the City Council has set aside funds each year to stimulate the implementation. During 2014 and 2015 8,940,000 USD was allocated for this, which made it possible to implement 76 measures. During 2016, a further 5,310,000 USD million have been earmarked for the Environmental Programme. This means that in total 14,300,000 USD has been allocated for the Environmental Programme the last three years
Read more in uploaded file (the programme in Swedish)
Read more in web page link (a booklet in English with a brief description of the Environmental Programme)
Gothenburg has agreed on twelve local Environmental Objectives. The objective Reduced Climate Impact states that:
• In 2050 Gothenburg has a sustainable and fair level of carbon dioxide emissions (one of the reported Commitments)
The objective is a long-term visionary target that is the foundation of the energy and climate related strategies and programs in Gothenburg. The climate objective for 2050 was approved by the city council in 2008. In absolute figures the goal is to reduce our consumption-based emissions per capita from 8 tons to 2 tons, following the IPCC recommendations.
The visionary objective has four intermediate objectives:
1. By 2020 the emissions of carbon dioxide from the non-ETS sector in Gothenburg have been reduced by at least 40 % compared to 1990 (one of the reported Commitments).
2. By 2020 the use of energy in housing should have been reduced by at least 30 % and the use of electricity (excluding industries and transports) should decrease by at least 20 % compared to 1995.
3. In 2035 the emissions of greenhouse gases from the geographical area of Gothenburg will not exceed 2 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per capita.
4. By 2035 the consumption based emissions of greenhouse gases will not exceed 3.5 tons per capita in Gothenburg.
In September 2014 the City Council adopted the Climate Programme (see other action) to specify how the visionary objective to 2050 is to be achieved in a more concrete way. The programme includes nine Strategic Objectives for 2030 and 24 Strategies. In parallel with the development of the program a research project together with the Academy (see other action) resulted in new knowledge about local consumption-based carbon footprints that were used to set targets and strategies.
The project is collaboration between industry, academia and the public sector with the aim of increasing understanding of consequences, opportunities and barriers to increased regional interaction for utilization of industrial waste heat. The project was completed in February 2015
In several previous studies, large amounts of surplus heat are detected in the industry complexes in the western part of Sweden. There are opportunities to use them internally so that, for example, the fossil fuel use in these industrial complexes can be significantly reduced, or externally, for example by linking a future regional district heating systems with the industry clusters in west Sweden. This could allow a large change in the western Swedish energy system, which would entail substantial reductions in carbon emissions in the region and the potential for significant economic gains.
The "West Swedish collaboration on industrial surplus heat" is formed to support the understanding of the large amounts of surplus heat available at the West Swedish process industry and how it best should be utilized.
The project implemented three subprojects and an analysis of the large district heating customer needs and demands of sustainable district heating. In addition, an analysis and processing of company supplying technology linked to the district heating system. Analysis of the business concepts and models can build up a strong domestic market, which could ultimately generate export opportunities for Western Swedish technology companies.
The three sub-projects are:
1. Sustainable use of industrial excess heat –internal heat recovery or export to a district heating network
2. Sustainability aspects of using excess heat in district heating systems
- Economic viability and sustainability
- Other sustainability aspects
- Influence of policy instruments on the use of excess heat
3. Market design models for cooperation of excess heat usage
Since 2009 the City of Gothenburg has a system for carbon offsetting of official journeys undertaken by the municipality. All administrations and companies shall calculate its emissions from official journeys and business travel and compensate those with investments in measures to reduce emissions in the future. Examples of investments made are electric bikes, video conferencing equipment and training such as energy efficient driving.
The reported carbon emissions from official journeys have fallen by 22 percent from 2010 to 2014, partly due to carbon offsets. The offsetting was 10 million SEK (USD 4.6 million) in 2014.
Mobility management, marketing and surveys, promote sustainable transports and car sharing. The City of Gothenburg is arranging a large number of mobility management activities in order to influence the travel habits in the city. Public campaigns, seminars, newsletters and direct support to organizations and enterprises are some examples.
Read more in uploaded file.
In Gothenburg, all city planning is expected to take into account the social perspective and in particular effects that planning might have on children. Much of this work is inspired and co-ordinated by the city’s unit for social sustainability, S2020. This focus has given rise to a number of physical and digital forums and tools. There has also been a concerted effort to strengthen citizen participation in a number of urban development projects in the city.
Read More Read LessThe uploaded file is a booklet describing the local environmental objectives in the City of Gothenburg as well as a description of actions that help to reach the objectives. Gothenburg has adopted a total of twelve environmental objectives. Most relevant for Earth Hour City Challenge is the objective Reduced Climate Impact (see other action) and the Climate Programme (see other action) that includes more detailed targets and strategies to reach the objective by 2050.
Read More Read LessEach year, the City of Gothenburg is serving approximately 20 million meals in schools, health and social care. Food has a huge environmental impact and represents a third of our total carbon footprint. Therefore, the City Council has decided that “the percentage of Sustainable Meals (organic ingredients) shall increase to at least 40 per cent” within the municipal organization. The goal provides a large reduction in the carbon footprint of the food that is served or purchased by the municipality.
The City of Gothenburg has been working for many years to increase the share of Sustainable Meals, which among other things has resulted in:
• In 2015, 45 percent of the food served by the municipality at schools and kindergartens was organic. All meat procured and served in the municipal schools must be organic.
• All ten districts in Gothenburg have a vegetarian day once a week in all public schools.
• During 2015 all ten districts in Gothenburg have projects to reduce food waste in schools.
An important factor for success in the transition to a fossil-free Gothenburg is collaboration between the municipality and other stakeholders. One of the most important arenas is Mistra Urban Futures, an international center for urban development in Gothenburg. There are about 30 different projects ongoing in Gothenburg and its surroundings where the municipality collaborate with researchers, industry, interest groups and the public in a variety of projects. Other important arenas for cooperation are Lindholmen Science Park and the more recently launched Johanneberg Science Park.
Read More Read LessIn 2014 21 900 tons of food waste was collected in Gothenburg. The amount represents 38 percent of the total potential mass of 58 400 tons that was generated from households and businesses. The amount collected increased in 2014 by 1 800 tons.
Of the food waste collected 12 GWh of biogas was produced by anaerobic digestion. The energy in the biogas is equivalent to about 1 million liters of petrol. To reach the target in the Gothenburg Region (in 2020 at least 50% of food waste will be collected and used for biogas production), it will require an annual average increase of about 1 200 tons by 2020. Given the increased collection made over the past years the goal will be reached.
Tage is a municipal intranet site through which City of Gothenburg administrations and companies can advertise their surplus office equipment. Tage started in 2013 as an initiative to reduce resource consumption within the City of Gothenburg and contribute to a sustainable development.
Read More Read LessWaste prevention in the City of Gothenburg is a project to reduce the use of resources within the municipal organization. The project will develop methods, procedures and good practices to prevent waste to arise. The City of Gothenburg has more than 50 departments and companies. They have great potential to prevent waste and become role models for citizens. Two examples are The Waste-Efficient Office, where we are developing procedures, methodologies and good practices to prevent waste and Skrota skräpet ("remove the rubbish”) a guide that offers tips and advice on how to reuse and recycle waste at workplaces.
Read More Read LessThe City of Gothenburg has in recent years developed a variety of projects that specifically focus on climate dialogue with young people. The projects are aimed at children and young people of different ages and are using different methods. Similarities between the various activities are that they are carried out in cooperation with other organizations and often in the form of events, youth culture, games, or other challenges.
Read More Read LessSafe, Beautiful City is a collaboration between stakeholders in the city to improve the quality of public spaces. The collaboration includes many activities that create commitment among the citizens for the urban environment and makes it easier to live sustainably. An example is the annual outdoor spring cleaning with tens of thousands of children. The activity set a new record in 2015 with 66 600 children picking rubbish around their schools and preschools. In five of the ten districts in Gothenburg 100 percent of all municipal schools and preschools attended. The spring cleaning is by far the largest single cleaning activity in Gothenburg and has helped the City to win the award for municipalities called Keep Sweden Tidy for four consecutive years.
Other examples are the THINK campaign conducted to influence people's attitudes and reduce littering in Gothenburg. Since 2009 the number of trash on city streets is measured and the amount of trash is decreasing each year.
Safe, Beautiful City has developed new functional waste sorting stations for the city. A station to be used outdoors in public places has been developed, as well as a station that can be used indoors in larger venues. Finally a work is underway to develop more green walls and roofs on public buildings.
The City of Gothenburg has invested heavily in biogas over the last year and sees biogas as one of tomorrow's most important renewable fuels, especially for the transport sector. Gothenburg Biomass Gasification Project, GoBiGas, is the name of the municipally owned company Göteborg Energi's largest investment in biogas production. In contrast to existing technologies based on anaerobic digestion of wet materials like sludge or manure, this plant is based on gasification of solid biomass such as waste from forestry. With this technology the resource base for biogas production is dramatically increased.
The project is divided into two phases. First a large scale demonstration that will produce around 160 GWh annually when fully operational. The building of the plant is completed, and is currently in a start-up phase. The second phase, that will build on the experiences from phase one, will be on a commercial scale, around five times larger.
Gothenburg has a tradition of biogas development and plan to continue on that path. In the Climate Program, the City of Gothenburg have a target to produce 1,200 GWh in 2030 which represents a tenfold increase compared to the current biogas production. One of the strategies in the program is to lead the development of biogas.
To reach the target it is crucial that the investment in the GoBiGas project becomes a reality. In December 2014 the first phase was started, which means that the world's first gasification plant for biogas production is one step closer of a production of about 160 GWh per year. Fully developed GoBiGas is expected to deliver 800 - 1000 GWh, which corresponds to approximately 70-80 percent of the target. By GoBiGas and other initiatives Gothenburg can realize the strategy to lead the development of biogas.
Retoy is a concept where meeting points are created for children to swap toys with each other. The children bring their own toys and play together before deciding which toys they want to take home. At the same time the participants learn about children's rights. Parents and children are key target groups to give the opportunity to inspire sustainable consumption early in life. During the first half of 2015 the City of Gothenburg has arranged seven toy exchanges, where 400 children have changed nearly 2400 toys with each other.
Retoy was founded in 2011 by a social entrepreneur and is based on a partnership between business stakeholders, the public sector and the non-profit sector where Retoy work closely with UNICEF. In Gothenburg several municipal administrations and companies collaborates to tour around Gothenburg with Retoy.
Climate Smart City Distribution is a collaborative project aimed at developing and demonstrating more effective and eco-friendly solutions for city distribution. The project is a collaboration between various freight delivery companies, vehicle manufacturers, fuel suppliers and governmental organizations.
Read More Read LessKatjas Gata 119, in Backa Röd, is a 4-storey residential building with 16 rental apartments. It was built in 1971 as a part of the Swedish “million program” and energy renovated in 2009.
The objective with the energy renovation at Katjas Gata 119 was to reduce the energy use from 178 kWh/m² (Atemp) to approximately 60 kWh/m² and to give us knowledge about technical and economical problems and solutions and experiences from the tenants point of view.
After the renovation the building energy consumption is between 50-60 kWh/m² (Atemp) which meets the objectives. The energy renovation resulted in better indoor climate compare to a normal renovation and the tenants are satisfied with their living. The project didn’t meet the city’s demand on return of investment. To get a cost-effective project the building must be in need of renovation and preferably create more lettable area while renovating.
With these conclusions the owner, Bostads AB Poseidon, developed the concept for the five remaining similar buildings. By adding two extra floors with 12 new apartments that split the joint costs of installations, the rebuilding the roof and ground etcetera, also the economical objective was reached. The first energy renovated buildings with two extra floors was finished in September 2014.
During the past year, the City of Gothenburg has installed photovoltaic systems at two of the city's baths and additional installations are planned. A total installed capacity of 80 kW will give an output of around 75,000 kWh per year.
Read More Read LessThe Climate Programme contains 24 strategies that describe the pathways towards reaching the visionary climate objective for 2050. The strategies focus on energy efficiency, conversion to renewable energy and reduced climate impact from transports and consumption of goods and services.
To concretize what must be done to reach the visionary objective for 2050 the Climate Programme also includes nine targets to be reached in 2030. The targets not only quantifies what needs to be done in different sectors within the city, but also sets goals for sustainable consumption in order to cut GHG emissions generated by the citizens outside Gothenburg. We are proud to be one of the first municipalities in the country that sets targets for air travel and consumption.
The work to develop a Climate Programme has been lead by the Environment Administration in close collaboration with all other departments within the city administration. In addition experts from the local universities and large local companies were invited to participate in the workshops where the goals and strategies were developed. The programme was adopted by the City Council in September 2014.
The nine targets in the Climate Programme:
1. In 2030 all district heating is produced from renewable energy sources, waste incineration or industrial excess heat.
2. By 2030 the total use of primary energy sources for electricity and heat does not exceed 31 MWh per inhabitant.
3. In 2030 at least 500 GWh of renewable electricity and 1200 GWh of biogas is produced in Gothenburg.
4. The carbon dioxide emissions from road transports in the geographical area of Gothenburg will decrease by at least 80 % by 2030 compared to 2010.
5. By 2030 the carbon dioxide emissions from shipping in the geographical area of Gothenburg will have been reduced by at least 20 % compared to 2010.
6. Climate impact of Gothenburg citizens air travel will be reduced with at least 20 percent by 2030 compared to 2012.
7. By 2030 the climate impact of food consumed in the city will have been reduced by 40 % compared to 2010.
8. The climate impact from purchases of materials should decrease. A target for 2030 will be set before 2018.
9. By 2030 the amount of household waste per capita in Gothenburg will have been reduced by 30 % compared to 2010.
The cluster is an initiative between industry, academia and the public sector with the aim of strengthen and develop collaboration and operations among the partners in the west Swedish chemical cluster. The cluster’s strength lies in the cross connection of actors from the chemical, energy, recycling and forest industries.
In Gothenburg and West Sweden chemical industries, including refineries, account for a significant share of the greenhouse gas emissions and the production is mainly based on fossil fuels. The cluster is part of an ongoing shift to products based on non-fossil raw materials, recycling of materials and more delivery of surplus heat in the region. Several large chemical companies have agreed on a vision to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.
The cluster focuses on four areas which are:
• Renewable raw materials for chemical and material products as well as transportation fuels
• Resource and energy efficiency
• Recycling
• Competence management and competence development
The clusters objective is to identify and initiate development projects within the focus areas which strengthen the industries in the West of Sweden in order to contribute to sustainable growth in the region.
Congestion tax is intended to improve accessibility on our roads, improve our environment and part-finance the West Swedish Agreement (see other action). Around 38 control points are placed at the entrances and exits to the congestion zone in Gothenburg since 2013. The decrease in road traffic since the congestion tax was introduced has resulted a major reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
In a comparison between the year before the congestion tax was introduced (2012) there has been a decrease in car travels as well as an increase in public transport and bike travel. This has led to an overall decrease in negative environmental effects in the Gothenburg region.
All who are regularly employed in the City of Gothenburg are offered a cycle-related benefit. If an employed buys a bicycle, or accessories for cycling for private use, the employer will pay all expenses up to SEK 1,500 (200 USD).
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Hyper Bus stands for Hybrid and Plug-in Extended Range Bus systems. It is a concept with a completely new technology that allows the bus to run longer on electric power and includes charging stations where it should be able to load electricity in a few minutes when it is at the last stop.
Read More Read LessGothenburg is a leading city in Sweden concerning our long term projects to reduce the emissions from road traffic and introduce new technologies and clean vehicles. The work involves suggestions of new national standards, procurement of transportation with low environmental impact and high traffic safety profile, encourage car-sharing, exchange knowledge with other cities, charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and a municipal vehicle fleet with high environmental performance.
Read More Read LessIn 2013 the City of Gothenburg was the first city in the world to use the framework for green bonds. In three years, a total of 3.36 billion SEK (397 million USD) have been issued for the City of Gothenburg. Eligible Projects are a selected pool of projects funded by the City of Gothenburg that promote the transition to low carbon and climate resilient growth. The response to our work in green bonds has been tremendous and has created a large international and national interest. It has also created new partnerships internally between different parts of the City of Gothenburg's organization eg, between Finance and Environmental Department. Green bonds help to fund large parts of the city's environmental work with the aim of realizing the city's Environmental Programme and Climate Programme.
Read More Read LessGothenburg is first in Sweden with a sustainability program for multistory car parks. The municipal Parking Company has developed the program that was adopted in April 2014. The program is a policy document and tool for all future new construction, reconstruction and renovation of car parks. The intention of the program is to contribute to a sustainable urban development - socially, economically and ecologically. Besides helping to reduce the climate impact, multistory car parks are to be built and tailored to meet the expected climate changes. To achieve the goal of car parks that contribute to an attractive city and sustainable mobility, five focus areas are identified. Each with different requirements and guidelines formulated.
For example the Parking Company hope to contribute to sustainable mobility by car parks with integrated bicycle parking, changing rooms for bicycle commuters and service stations where pumping and charging of electric bicycle is possible.
An ongoing project is the construction of so-called Rain Gardens close to the car parks. The Rain Gardens are specially designed to clean the polluted rain water around the car park and take care of stormwater locally so that flood risk will decrease.
The focus areas are:
• Climate and resource efficiency
• Sustainable mobility and parking
• The green city
• Collaboration and quality
• Safety and attractiveness
Since 2012 Gothenburg is a member of the global Making Cities Resilient Campaign run by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). The Campaign now have more than 4000 members worldwide all committed to better coordination, organization and funding of disaster risk reduction at community level. The campaign provides an opportunity for the City of Gothenburg to disseminate our own achievements, but above all to bring about an exchange with other cities. By Swedish standards, Gothenburg is on the forefront of investigations, however, too little of climate adaptation measures have actually been built. For example, the USA, Russia, China, Netherlands, UK and Germany have progressed further. The campaign can stimulate the building of networks and exchange of experiences. To see different types of measures in place are of great interest to city's further work on adaptation to extreme weather events. Gothenburg was hosting the 2014 Nordic meeting in the Making Cities Resilient Network.
Read More Read LessAdaptation to climate change has been on the agenda for a long time in Gothenburg. In 2006, a local vulnerability and risk assessment analysis was made. Studies in different low-lying neighborhoods have been made to investigate effects, costs and various strategies for adaptation to rising sea levels. The work has been done in cooperation with researchers and other experts. For several years, there are regulations in Gothenburg on the minimum floor level for all new construction and for critical infrastructure. Most problematic, however, is to protect the existing city.
Read More Read LessIn recent years the City of Gothenburg has been involved in various research projects on climate adaptation of cities. This has strengthened the knowledge and cooperation with researchers and other key stakeholders in Sweden. In the project "A City Structure Adapted to Climate Change" the Free Port in central Gothenburg was used as a pilot area. The different climate adaptation strategies; attack, retreat and defend were investigated and highlighted from a social, ecological and economical perspective. The project “Adaptation of Swedish Cities” resulted among other things in recommendations for spatial planning.
Read more in uploaded file.
The City of Gothenburg and the City of New Orleans have an exchange in the years 2015 and 2016 on climate adaptation. The exchange has grown out of the two cities' involvement in the campaign Making Cities Resilient. The main objective of this international exchange is to share knowledge and experiences about disaster risk reduction and how to make the cities resilient to the consequences from natural hazards such as flood inundation and sea level rise. The matching of Gothenburg with New Orleans for this exchange is requested because of similar challenges. Through this two-way exchange, Sweden and the United States will provide information from researchers and specialists on creating resilience against natural disasters. Information from the project will shed light on how to assure resilience after a disaster and avoid depopulation of the city as was the case after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Read More Read LessMayor Axel JosefssonCity of Gothenburg, Sweden
