When the United Nations (UN) established its Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, nearly 4 billion people lived in cities. As reported by the Organization, this figure is inevitably increasing, and could reach 5,000 million inhabitants in the year 2030. Given these perspectives, the construction of responsible urban spaces with resources becomes vital. And it is that, although cities occupy only 3% of the earth’s surface, they represent between 60% and 80% of energy consumption and 75% of carbon emissions. In addition -as also reported by the UN-, since 2016, 90% of the inhabitants of the cities breathed air that did not meet the safety standards established by the World Health Organization, which caused a total of 4, 2 million deaths due to air pollution. Therefore, the commitment of cities to invest in sustainability and care for the environment is not a trivial fact. On the contrary, it is ultimately a commitment to the best quality of life for all; a clear commitment to the future.
In this way, initiatives arise such as the one promoted by the European Commission, the Covenant of Mayors, whose objective is to accelerate the energy transition process in cities and ensure that their inhabitants enjoy access to safe, sustainable and affordable energy. More than 7,000 municipalities from 57 countries have already joined the pact, including the main Spanish cities. The signatory cities commit to act to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 40% in 2030 and, finally, completely free cities of emissions in the year 2050.
At the current rate, city councils will have to invest between 1,500 and 4,000 additional euros per inhabitant
In the specific case of our country, cities (at least 50,000 inhabitants) concentrate 70% of the population and 40% of the final energy is consumed in them (mainly in the building and road transport sectors). This is reflected in the study, recently prepared by Monitor Deloitte with the collaboration of Endesa. As explained in said report, the consumption of energy in the cities of our country is related to 70% of the total emissions of greenhouse gases; 229 million tons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2eq) compared to a national total of 324 MtCO2eq in 2016.
In this report, Monitor Deloitte warns that, at the current rate of reduction of emissions, the sustainability objectives will not be achieved. The municipalities of our country require an additional investment of between 1,500 and 4,000 euros per inhabitant between now and 2030. In a large city with a cold climate such as the city of Madrid, between 1,500 and 2,000 euros per inhabitant (5,000-6,000 million euros in total), while, in a medium-sized city with a cold climate like Vitoria-Gasteiz, this investment would be around 2,000-4,000 euros per inhabitant (500-1,000 million euros in total). However, apart from improving the quality of life and the health of city dwellers, this investment will lead to savings of up to 2,000 euros per inhabitant and will prevent further investment in the future with a view to achieving zero emission objectives in the cities in 2050.
Mobility in focus
Recently, a new analysis prepared by the Sustainability Observatory (OS) indicated that the Basque Country and Navarra are the Spanish Autonomous Communities that best meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals, followed by Aragon. It is not the first time that the north of our geography stands out from other areas in terms of sustainability. And it is that, already in November of last year, another OS report positioned the Basque capital Vitoria-Gasteiz as the most sustainable in the country; according to social, environmental, economic and transparency and governance criteria.
In 2017, the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz enjoyed 232 days in which air quality was good, when comparing its levels of air pollutants with the risk levels or thresholds established by current legislation. And it is that, hand in hand with the European network Civitas, which seeks the exchange of innovative ideas applied to mobility, the Basque city council has participated in projects to improve the quality and application of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, as well as to boost pedestrian and cyclist movements through traffic modeling technologies. Non-motorized transport in Vitoria-Gasteiz has gone from accounting for 52% of journeys in 2006 to 65% in 2016.
Along these lines, and also in the Basque Country, the city of Bilbao ranks first in the Greenpeace Ranking of Urban Mobility in Spain. The non-profit organization points out that the city of Biscay has managed to place pedestrians at the center of urban life, noting that 64% of trips in the city are made on foot. It also recalls its offer of public transport and the reduction of the maximum speed in 87% of its streets.
These types of measures related to mobility are more than necessary to achieve the reduction of polluting emissions, since the road transport sector is the main cause of the concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in cities (60-80% according to the National inventory of emissions into the atmosphere). Aware of this problem, in the report, Monitor Deloitte proposes priority actions such as increasing the use of public transport or non-motorized vehicles or walking. By promoting a modal change in transport and relying on greater restrictions on the use of private vehicles and the implementation of bicycle lanes and parking spaces, these measures could reduce GHG emissions per passenger-km by between 70-100%.
The new forms of mobility must reach 10% of the journeys in private vehicles
To meet these expectations, the use of new forms of smart mobility – carsharing or carpooling, booming thanks to digitization – must reach 10% of trips by private vehicle in large cities by 2030, according to the Deloitte Monitor report. . To achieve the objectives of the Covenant of Mayors, said report also indicates that the penetration of electric vehicles should reach 25-30% in 2030, to the detriment of the circulation of older and more polluting vehicles.
Public transport fleets should also pursue zero emissions; an exemplary measure of the Public Administrations that also involves the implementation of public lighting with LED technology. In relation to renewables, we also find self-consumption in municipal buildings with adequate roofs or, as some municipalities do, the promotion of renewable facilities in the vicinity of cities, where natural resources can be used more efficiently.
How to reduce consumption
As indicated in the study Energy-sustainable cities: the urban energy transition to 2030, prepared by Monitor Deloitte with the support of Endesa, citizens’ homes are one of the main sources of emissions, especially those with a cold climate where a A home can consume 50-80% more energy, in heating and hot water, than a home in a temperate climate, which implies that the climate is the most relevant factor for analyzing consumption and urban sustainability actions in this sector. Heating consumption control systems can reduce energy consumption between 15% and 30%. In cities with a cold climate with higher thermal consumption and the presence of centralized systems, a penetration of 30-50% of homes with these systems would be required to achieve the reductions foreseen for the year 2030. As this study warns, it is also necessary to promote the use of more efficient thermal equipment, such as the heat pump -particularly in shopping centers, large office buildings- or the natural gas condensing boiler, as well as energy rehabilitation of buildings.
The change to LED systems in offices and shops allows unit savings of 70-80% of consumption
Changing lighting equipment to LED systems in offices and shops also allows unit savings of 70-80% in consumption, while intelligent lighting control systems produce a reduction of 15-30%. As also reported by Monitor Deloitte, the high profitability of these actions makes installing LED lighting in 90-100% of the area of the service sector by 2030 a realistic objective.
Malaga laboratory
Another city in our geography that stands out notably in the field of urban sustainability is Malaga. And it is that, with the support of Endesa, in the so-called Living Lab of Smart City Málaga, efficiency and energy saving measures are developed. The demands of individuals, buildings and large customers, the integration of renewable energy generation in the grid, storage, electric mobility, remote management services and information security are also actively managed.
Since its launch in 2009, Smart City Málaga has become a benchmark in the design of the energy model for the cities of the future, receiving the Living Lab certification from the ENoll network (European Network of Living Labs). Thanks to the initiatives of this laboratory, the Andalusian city has managed to reduce pollution, save more than 25% in electricity consumption and improve the management of public services.
Malaga exemplifies the commitment of our cities to put innovation at the center of their policies. Only in this way, through the use of technology to achieve greater well-being for people, the future in our cities looks promising.
Facebook Comments
Disqus