Efforts to reduce CO2-emissions, for example, have a long history on the Nordic agenda. Energy is in the main used for transportation, heating and industrial production. What is it possibile to save on energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions? The Nordic countries in fact introduced taxes on such emissions back in the early 1990s. It was "out" with oil and "in" with rubbish and the leftovers from the forest-industry and even the agricultural sector. The emissions taxes put in place made such changes even more profitable.
A practical example of what such changes have led to is evident in the small Swedish city of Växjö (see pp 6-9), which has been acclaimed as the "greenest" city in Europe. The reportage highlights key lessons for climate adaptation and mitigation at the local level.
In Växjö, the change in emphasis in energy production spurred the expansion of the city's heat- and electricity-generation plant. With that, the city not only became much "greener," but was able to do so without reducing its energy consumption. In fact, its energy consumption has grown, roughly in line with population expansion.
A rapidly growing number of Nordic communities are now experiencing something similar. Most common is the construction of refuse-burning district heating plants. To avoid pollution at the same time as remaining financially viable, a minimum number of users are necessary.
Many other communities, however, have still not fully applied this technology – particularly in the combination of electricity and heat generation. On the other hand, it is probably only a matter of time before the application of this technology reaches its saturation point. Stockholm, for example, claims that by 2020 it will be using almost no oil for heating at all. (Dagens Nyheter 26/11/09).
Almost all new buildings in the Nordic countries consume less energy than has been the norm. This is primarily because they are much better insulated and wind-tightened. Recapturing of heat through the ventilation systems also reduces the need for external energy supplies. Similar gains are achieved, although on a smaller scale, through solar heating, heat pumps etc. Changes in building regulations combined with the need for economic savings are the driving forces here.
For the older building stock the actual energy-consumption in many houses would be cut almost in half by insulating better. This measure alone provides the potential for reductions in the national consumption level by maybe as much as 15%. Progress for this type of energy-reduction is however rather slow.
Regarding territorial matters, a major issue on the climate agenda is the question of how to plan and build our cities. As indicated in the Journal No 2-09, some cities think that as long as they build densely (and often high) things are going in the right direction. Their main argument is saving on transport. Of the Nordic capitals, Oslo and, to some extent, Stockholm, are those that adhere most to this philosophy.
It is likely that this drive for densification will increase city-centre temperatures in the summer, while also providing ready-made conduits for ice-cold winds in the winter. This is one of the questions raised in the article on pp 24-25.
For most communities without heavy industries, contributing to mitigation of climate change is more than anything the reduction of emissions from the transport sector. A growing number of municipalities, including Växjö, are currently constructing new plants for the production of vehicle fuel. In Malmö (pp 14-17) for example, all the city's buses already run on non-fossil fuel.
Many owners of private cars would also like to switch to such fuels assuming that they do of course not cost more. The raw material needed for their production, however, is often not readily available. To what extent wooded areas should be used for timber, cellulose, or the production of this type of fuel, remains unclear.
This is not only an economic issue but also a question of societal priorities. So far, political debate of this issue particularly at the national level, has been sparse. On this and numerous other climate change-related issues, the participants from around the world who come to the COP 15 meetings will find much to puzzle over in the Nordic approach to climate change. Our hope is that they will both bring something constructive of their own to the table and leave with good impressions of the Nordic approach intact.
Odd Iglebaek, Editor