Innovation-in-Europes-Cities_Bloomberg-Mayors-Challenge1

WinnersStockholm881,235Population (2012)1.92%Population growth per annum(2004-2013)€51,560GDP per capita (2013)3.2%Annual GDP growth (2003-2013)Winning proposalSwedishOfficial languageIndirectlyelected mayor(four-year term)Metropolitan governanceGrow Stockholm: converting citizenbio-waste into biochar to remove CO 2The Biochar Project developed by Stockholm,Sweden aims to reduce carbon emissionsby enabling citizens to be part of carbonsequestration (CO 2‘removal’). Residents canprovide plant waste for the city to producebiochar – a stable, solid charcoal product, richin carbon which can endure in soil for thousandsof years – which encourages plant growth byenhancing the soil’s capacity to retain waterand nutrients. An e-service allows citizens tocalculate how much biochar they need to usein their soil to ‘offset’ their carbon footprint –impacting positively on behaviour. A municipalbiochar facility will add to the Swedish capital’sexpanding waste and recycling capacity. Whilethere are many examples of biochar use acrossEurope, Stockholm’s proposed use of biocharfor its urban storm water purification andmanagement system appears to be unique,as does its large-scale collaboration betweenlocal authorities and citizens in the generationof the product.Sweden has already reached its EU 2020 target forrenewable energy and is also on track to achieve thegreenhouse gas 2020 reduction target. Stockholm’sVision 2030 is directed at becoming entirely fossilfuel-free, and being the green capital of the worldby 2050. During the 1950s, the city was heavilydependent on fossil fuels and air pollution was high.Since then, strategic planning has been put in placeto simultaneously improve the city’s environmentalperformance and help the city transition into alow-carbon economy. This plan has been supportedby stringent new building codes and retrofittingstandards. The availability of new technology,coupled with the willingness of the business andresidential communities to become early adopters,increases opportunities for green innovation in thecity.VisionStockholm’s local government wants to change thecity’s ecological footprint by revitalising an ancientbut effective technology. The city plans to collectbio-waste from residents to produce biochar, whichcan then be used in public and private gardens.Biochar is an organic substance produced fromplant waste, which can be used to increase plantgrowth, sequester carbon and purify storm waterrun-off. The process will have positive side effects:a by-product of the biochar production process issynthesis gas, which will be used to generate energyfor the city’s district heating system.ImpactAssuming that the waste collection and distributionsystems remain carbon neutral, Stockholm believesthat every tonne of biochar will sequester 3.6 tonnesof CO 2. The local government will weigh outputto build a very public and visible evidence base forhow such innovations can promote greener living.Malin Parmander, the city’s International AffairsOfficer, believes the project will further increasecitizens’ awareness of climate change issues, andalso increase happiness. City surveys show thateight in 10 residents desire to be more active in thefight against climate change, and this project plansto expand e-services, allowing citizens to calculatehow much biochar needs to be produced to ‘offset’personal emissions, such as going on holiday orchoosing to drive to work. This helps increase thesense of tangibility for individual citizen action.ImplementationStockholm already has significant greeninfrastructure in place and is in the process ofdeveloping a municipal eco-plant for recycling andwaste; a biochar facility will be added to this. Thefacility will be partly funded by selling biochar (foruse in soil production) and excess gas (to producebio-fuel). To promote urban farming, the city willprovide professional advice and start-up gardeningkits to citizens who provide bio-waste.TransferabilityMany cities may not have the infrastructure tosupport a city-wide biochar project; however, it isfairly easy to develop small-scale projects. This mayhelp to overcome the trend of richer cities investingmore in being green than poorer ones. Recognisingthe difficulty of measuring the local benefits ofgreen projects, Stockholm is eager to export thebiochar scheme to other cities to raise globalawareness of the need for every city to contribute toreducing the risks associated with climate change.40