A pioneering ‘clean’ city

When this quiet city in southern Sweden decided in 1996 to wean itself off fossil fuels, most people doubted the ambitious goal would have any effect beyond the town limits.

A few melting glaciers later, Vaxjo is attracting a green pilgrimage of politicians, scientists and business leaders from as far afield as the U.S. and North Korea seeking inspiration from a city program that has enabled it to cut carbon dioxide emissions 30% since 1993.

Vaxjo (pronounced VECK-shur), a city of 78,000 on the shores of Lake Helga, surrounded by thick pine forest in the heart of Smaland province, is a pioneer in a growing movement in dozens of European cities, large and small, that aren’t waiting for national or international measures to curb global warming.

Initiatives taken at the local level -- including London’s congestion charge, Paris’ city bike program and the solar power campaign in Barcelona, Spain -- are being introduced across the continent, often influencing national policies instead of the other way around.

“People used to ask: Isn’t it better to do this at a national or international level?” said Henrik Johansson, Vaxjo’s environmental controller. “We want to show everyone else that you can accomplish a lot at the local level.”

The European Union, mindful that many member states are failing to meet mandated emissions cuts under the Kyoto Protocol climate-change treaty, has taken notice of the trend and is encouraging cities to adopt their own emissions targets.

The bloc awarded one of its inaugural Sustainable Energy Europe awards this year to Vaxjo, which aims to cut emissions by 50% by 2010 and 70% by 2025.

“We are convinced that the cities are a key element to change behavior and get results,” said Pedro Ballesteros Torres, manager of the Sustainable Energy Europe campaign. “Climate change is a global problem, but the origin of the problem is very local.”

Only a handful of European capitals have set emissions targets, including Stockholm, Copenhagen and London. Torres said he hoped to persuade about 30 European cities to commit to targets next year.

Although such goals are welcome, they might not always be the best way forward, said Simon Reddy, who manages the C40 project, a global network of major cities exchanging ideas on tackling climate change.

“At the moment a lot of cities don’t know what they’re emitting, so it’s very difficult to set targets,” Reddy said.

More important than emissions targets, he said, is that cities draft action plans outlining specific goals to reduce emissions, such as switching a certain percentage of the public transit system to alternative fuels.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s Climate Action Plan calls for cutting the city’s CO2 emissions 60% by 2025, compared with 1990 levels. But planners acknowledge the cuts are not realistic unless the government introduces a system of carbon pricing.

Barcelona, Spain’s second-biggest city, has since last year required all new and renovated buildings to install solar panels to supply at least 60% of the energy needed to heat water.

The project has been emulated by dozens of Spanish cities and inspired national legislation with similar though less stringent requirements, said Angels Codina Relat of the Barcelona Energy Agency.

It’s not only in Europe that cities are taking action on climate change.

Several U.S. cities including Seattle; Austin, Texas; and Portland, Ore., have launched programs to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Bogota, the capital of Colombia, has reduced emissions with its TransMilenio municipal bus system and an extensive network of bicycle paths.

In Vaxjo, the vast majority of emissions cuts have been achieved at the heating and power plant, which replaced oil with wood chips from local sawmills as its main source of fuel. Ashes from the furnace are returned to the forest as fertilizer.

“This is the best fir in Sweden,” said plant manager Ulf Johnsson, scooping up a fistful of wood chips from a giant heap outside the factory.

He had just led Michael Wood, the U.S. ambassador to Sweden, on a guided tour of the facility, which is considered state of the art. Not only does it generate electricity, but the water that warms up as it cools the plant is used to heat homes and offices in Vaxjo.

Every week, foreign visitors arrive to see Vaxjo’s environmental campaign. Last year, a delegation of 10 energy officials from reclusive North Korea got a tour.

Though Vaxjo is tiny by comparison with cities in C40, including New York, Mexico City and Tokyo, the group has been impressed by the city’s progress and uses it as an example of “best practices.”

“They’re a small town,” C40’s Reddy said. “Apply that to 7 million? It’s doable but it’s going to take a lot longer.”