The heating challenge cities must solve to fight global warming

The document highlights the critical role of urban heating in city emissions, noting that Helsinki's heating accounts for 56% of its CO2 emissions. It argues that biomass is not a sustainable long-term solution due to biodiversity risks and limited global availability. To address this, the city launched the Helsinki Energy Challenge to find 100% sustainable heating alternatives that can be scaled globally, emphasizing that cities account for over 70% of global CO2 emissions.

• Urban areas are primary drivers of global emissions, with cities consuming two thirds of the world's energy and producing more than 70% of global CO2 emissions.
• Helsinki faces a significant decarbonisation challenge as 56% of its carbon dioxide emissions originate from heating, with coal producing 53% of the heat for its districts.
• The use of biomass for heating is deemed unsustainable because its emissions are equivalent to coal at the point of combustion, it threatens biodiversity, and its global availability is too restricted to solve the climate problem.
• Helsinki aims to be carbon neutral by 2035, targeting a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% compared to 1990 levels, with the remaining 20% offset by external emissions reductions such as increasing carbon sinks.
• The Helsinki Energy Challenge serves as a global testbed for sustainable urban heating because the city's cold climate, size, and unregulated heating market allow for scalable and competitive innovation.

APA

Vapaavuori, J. (2020). The heating challenge cities must solve to fight global warming. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/the-heating-challenge-cities-must-solve-to-fight-global-warming/

Chicago

Vapaavuori, Jan. The heating challenge cities must solve to fight global warming. World Economic Forum, 2020. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/the-heating-challenge-cities-must-solve-to-fight-global-warming/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Vapaavuori |first1=Jan |title=The heating challenge cities must solve to fight global warming |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=9 June 2020 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/the-heating-challenge-cities-must-solve-to-fight-global-warming/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{vapaavuori2020heating, author = {Vapaavuori, Jan}, title = {{The heating challenge cities must solve to fight global warming}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/the-heating-challenge-cities-must-solve-to-fight-global-warming/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }