Amsterdam is serious about climate change

Amsterdam against climate change

Talking about climate change and solutions to mitigate its effects is synonymous with talking about the Paris Agreement. That Summit against Climate Change held in December 2015 was a new international recognition to recognize the urgency that the planet has to reduce and contain the increase in global temperature above 1,5 ° C.

This objective is ambitious, however, the actions and commitments by the countries are not so ambitious. According to the UN, the trajectory of the rise in temperatures that we have Today if everything continues like this it is 3,4 ° C. And that is taking into account that all countries fully implement the measures agreed in Paris.

Actions to reduce temperatures

green architecture in Amsterdam for climate change

For this reason, the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP22), which took place in Marrakech in November 2016, sought to concretize this expected change of course in effective actions. If not, the most possible scenario has already been described by the World Bank as unprecedented heat waves, an increase in tropical cyclones, droughts and famines, and the sea level with the disappearance of ecosystems, etc.

It is clear that the objectives and the measures must change or be stricter since, for now, they are not enough. Faced with global warming and all the negative effects on ecosystems and life as we know it, cities play a leading role. The current rate of urbanization in cities is unsustainable over time. That is why change is needed to be able to respond to the challenges of our time, addressing issues such as inequality, climate change and this unsafe and unsustainable urban growth.

They are our daily and daily activities such as mobility, the transport of consumer products and food, heating, the exploitation or transport of fossil fuels, etc. It is all of this that contributes to the CO2 emissions that accelerate climate change. According to UN data, urban pollution in cities contributes to nearly 3,4 million premature deaths worldwide. This is because environmental pollution increases the probability of suffering from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

Amsterdam does its homework

amsterdam climate change and sustainability

It is for all the aforementioned that Amsterdam has begun to implement measures that are aimed at greater urban sustainability. One of its great aspirations on issues of pollution and climate change is that it aims, by 2050, to be a city totally free of CO2 emissions.

Among the measures being carried out to achieve this sustainability are:

  • The "Clean Air 2025" program aims to sustainable mobility that eliminates CO2 emissions associated with transport, both public and especially private. It is also planned to gradually replace diesel-powered buses with zero-emission models and to increase the number of electric vehicles. Support for the private substitution of electric vehicles will also be promoted with plans to support individuals and restrictions for gasoline and diesel vehicles. The most polluting vehicles will see their access restricted to various areas progressively just as Madrid is doing with Manuela Carmena's plan.
  • Clean and sustainable energy will be promoted with a transition from the use of coal and natural gas to the use of renewables. Thus, in 2050 It is intended to have eliminated the use of natural gas throughout the city to make it a zone free of CO2 emissions. In the next four years, it is expected that some 100.000 homes can be incorporated into a new network fed with clean energy, which will be obtained by burning garbage, using the remaining energy from industry, geothermal energy, green gas (that which release organic substances such as manure or plant debris), or the use of solar panels.
  • Environmental awareness and education plans. This is of vital importance in order to improve urban air quality. A project called TreeWifi in which it is tried to motivate the neighbors to maintain the clean air of the streets in exchange for free internet. TreeWifi is placing birdhouses in the trees of the city with a sensor to measure air quality and a WiFi router with an Internet connection. Thus, as long as the levels of pollution and general air quality remain within the recommended limits, the roof of the birdhouse will glow green and the neighbors will have free WiFi. Otherwise, the roof of the house will light up red and the router will cut off the Internet connection.

As you can see, Amsterdam is doing its homework well and the rest of the cities of the world should also do it.


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