In 2009, Copenhagen had the ambition of not releasing more CO2 than its natural sinks, such as trees, could capture, by 2025. An almost revolutionary bet at the time. A little too much, because the Danish capital will ultimately not be able to meet this challenge, even if it is already a model for many other cities.
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With our correspondent in the region, Ottilia Ferey
Copenhagen has reduced its emissions by 75% since 2005: half of journeys are now made by bicycle, red meat is no longer served in schools, wind turbines are running at full capacity, but that was not enough to reach its aims to be neutral by 2025.
The fault, in part, is its emblematic waste incinerator in CopenHill. It was unable to obtain the government funds it would have needed to be able to capture and store its CO emissions.2.
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But there are many other reasons to explain this failure, as Danish urban planner Mikael Colville-Andersen explains: “ the two enormous wind farms that were needed never saw the light of day. There has been no political vision to do what Hidalgo is doing in Paris to reduce the number of cars. People here buy their second or third car like it’s America in 1962 “.
New infrastructure projects have also compromised the goal of a carbon-neutral city, such as the artificial island of Lunedeholm, which requires tunnels and highways to access it. “ Basically, the Copenhagen objective of neutrality was honestly achievable, but we rested on our laurels. It is still a reference city, absolutely, but it has not continued its good momentum », Regrets the Danish town planner. The deadline is therefore delayed, perhaps for 2026, 2027 or 2028, according to the mayor of Copenhagen.
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