Copenhagen green city goals

Copenhagen green city goals
By Greg Lory
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Copenhagen is known for its bikes and green outlook - but what are the latest ways the Nordic nation is trying to lead the way on cutting back on carbon? Greg Lory went to find out.

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Copenhagen has set itself an ambitious environmental goal. The city wants to become the first capital in the world to achieve carbon neutrality. The deadline is 2025. The project, launched 17 years ago, required an investment of more than 26 billion euros. 

Eco-districts are rising from the ground. Plants grown on the sides of buildings to regulate the temperature or collect rainwater. They are buildings which are multi-functional.

"This is a parking house actually that we're standing on the rooftop of. The rooftop is then being used for playground for the whole urban area. As well in the bottom floor you saw a recycling station for the citizens of the area and as well as a supermarket. So this is an example of how you can combine different," explains Ulrik Lassen, Senior Consultant,Urban planning and climate adaptation,Rambøll as he shows our reporter around the district.

The production of renewable energies is at the core of the Copenhagen project.

Back into 2000 the wind farm off the Copenhagen coast was the biggest in the world. It provides electricity to 60 000 households.

The city plans to build two additional parks. It also wants to improve the performance of the existing facility.

"We're looking at repowering them. Because we're so close to the airport we can't make them any higher. But the technology has developed so much in the past 20 years that we can get them to produce 30% more than they do today,"  Monica Magnussen, Programme director - Meet Copenhagen City, tells our reporter.

In Copenhagen 75% of trips are made on foot, by bike or on public transport. The subway is also growing. In September the capital opened a new line. The goal is to get cars off roads and reduce CO2 emissions.

"If you use the metro your emission will be 7g per passenger/ km so if you travel for 1km you have emissions which are equivalent to 7g CO2. And let's say you compare it with a normal traditionnal fossil fuel car, your emissions will be in the range of 130g/km," explains Henrik Plougmann-Olsen, CEO of The Copenhagen Metro.

The number of metro passengers is expected to almost double by 2020. Another sign the city is on track to hit its green goals.

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