Five ways that cities can slash carbon pollution right now

New York, NY has set efficiency standard for electric motors. Source: Pixabay

Nexus Media

“Great to make commitments. But cities need to be acting now.”

Source: Pixabay
Source: Pixabay

It’s been a banner year for cities in the fight against climate change. This week, more than 50 mayors gathered in Chicago this week for North American Climate Summit.

Each signed a charter calling on mayors to make specific plans to cut carbon pollution in line with national commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Over the last year, hundreds of U.S. cities have pledged to fulfill the terms of landmark accord. As of last week, 50 have vowed to generate 100 percent of their power from renewables.

Plans and pledges are one thing. Action is something entirely different. While it remains unclear how cities might quickly and cheaply achieve these goals, a new report from the Rocky Mountain Institute, a clean-energy think tank, lists 22 policies that could help get the job done.

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“Cities should no longer focus first on making plans and lots of analysis and then taking action. We don’t have time for that,” said Jacob Corvidae, a manager at the Rocky Mountain Institute and coauthor of the report. “Great to make commitments. But cities need to be acting now.”

The report looks at cities that have made big strides cutting carbon pollution and highlights the policies that made those successes possible, focusing on measures that are easy to implement and will have a big impact right away.

It lists the usual suspects — municipal solar projects, LED streetlights — but it also examines several high-impact policies that typically get little mention at city halls. Corvidae zeroed in on five such measures that would rapidly cut carbon pollution and improve quality of life.

1. Net-zero buildings

One big step cities can take is to demand that all new buildings produce more energy than they consume.

Construction companies could achieve this feat by fitting new buildings with technologies that cut energy use — energy-efficient lights, energy-efficient heating and air conditioning, double-paned windows — as well as technologies that generate and store power — solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, for example.

“It’s already cost-effective in many places now to make buildings, especially residences, net-zero-energy ready or, if the solar conditions work in their place, to make them net-zero-energy now,” Corvidae said.

A home in Lancaster, CA with solar panels on the roof. In 2013, Republican-led Lancaster became the first U.S. city to require that new single-family homes come equipped with solar panels. Source: Revolt Electric
A home in Lancaster, CA with solar panels on the roof. In 2013, Republican-led Lancaster became the first U.S. city to require that new single-family homes come equipped with solar panels. Source: Revolt Electric

2. Car-free city centers

When it comes to low-carbon transportation, the big-ticket policies for most city leaders are things like electric busses, charging stations for electric vehicles and more extensive public transit. But there is something cities can do that is just as effective and much easier than those measures — ban cars from city centers.

City centers are often densely built and, as a result, imminently walkable. When cities limit the number of cars and trucks allowed in city centers, it forces would-be drivers to carpool, take the bus or walk, cutting air pollution.

The report notes that, as a bonus, businesses along car-free streets tend to see their incomes rise as foot traffic grows. “People are talking about cities having to do their part. I think that’s all wrong,” Corvidae said. “Cities should be doing this because it’s going to make them a better city.”

La Rambla, a pedestrian street at the heart of Barcelona, Spain. Source: Jorge Láscar
La Rambla, a pedestrian street at the heart of Barcelona, Spain. Source: Jorge Láscar

3. All-electric homes

Cities have a lot of latitude when it comes to buying power, opting for electricity from solar and wind instead of coal and gas, for example. But that’s not the only way that cities generate carbon pollution. Another is from burning natural gas to heat homes, ignite stoves and warm water for cooking and bathing.

“One big one we’re looking at there is making sure that when cities are doing new developments, that they do not build in fossil fuel infrastructure, because if they do it’s going to be obsolete in a number of years anyway,” Corvidae said.

Cities can require that new neighborhoods be built without natural-gas infrastructure, meaning homeowners would use electric stoves and water heaters instead of conventional appliances, which can leak gas, starting fires. Ideally, the electricity used to power those plug-in appliances would come from wind, solar or another low-carbon form of power.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands is requiring new neighborhoods be built without natural-gas infrastructure. It’s also incentivizing residents to remove gas infrastructure from their homes. Source: Pixabay
Amsterdam, the Netherlands is requiring new neighborhoods be built without natural-gas infrastructure. It’s also incentivizing residents to remove gas infrastructure from their homes. Source: Pixabay

4. Efficient factories

Industry can be a sizable source of carbon pollution. That is in part because factories use electric motors to drive the manufacturing equipment. Those motors use a lot of power — around 70 percent of electricty consumed by the industrial and service sectors, according to the report.

Cities can put a big dent in energy use by incentivizing manufacturers to replace energy-intensive motors with more efficient models, cutting down on pollution and shrinking power bills.

“We’re looking at a number of things that cities can do to help the industry in their region tackle things like making more efficient motors,” Corvidae said. “Huge impact. Relatively small intervention.”

New York, NY has set efficiency standard for electric motors. Source: Pixabay
New York, NY has set efficiency standard for electric motors. Source: Pixabay

5. Organic waste

It’s not sexy, but it’s essential. Organic waste such as paper, cardboard and leftover food is a sizable source of carbon pollution. That’s because when your banana peels and apple cores end up in a landfill, they are gobbled up by microorganisms that produce methane, a potent heat-trapping gas.

“Cities should look at making sure they’re diverting organic waste. All waste is good to tackle, but organic waste is where the big emissions come from,” Corvidae said. Cities can cut carbon pollution by composting organic waste, turning uneaten food into a fertilizer. They also could separate out organic waste and burn the methane produced to generate power.

Vancouver, Canada has banned organic waste from entering landfills. Source: Pixabay
Vancouver, Canada has banned organic waste from entering landfills. Source: Pixabay

Officials can find examples of this and other policies online, which can be used as a starting point in crafting new plans, ordinances and building codes. Corvidae sees cities as a smorgasbord of smart climate policy, and he’s eager to serve up what works.

“On the ground, people recognize that climate change is happening. Not everybody, but most people,” Corvidae said. “I think it’s beautiful that people are realizing it’s not up to somebody else. It’s up to us.”

Source: Nexus Media. Reproduced with permission.

Comments

21 responses to “Five ways that cities can slash carbon pollution right now”

  1. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    Just a little bit of forward thinking now can lock in some big gains in the coming years. Point 3. is an important one. Can I just mention that in Campbelltown, South West Sydney, new housing estates are automatically plumbed with gas for cooking and heating. And of course the punters living there are copping those sky high energy bills because gas is becoming more expensive. Talk about dumbass sticking with gas.

    1. ozfred Avatar
      ozfred

      Until the electricity network isn’t available.
      OTOH a gas cooking plate (a la camper van) and 9 kg LPG bottle is an attractive backup alternative.

    2. solarguy Avatar
      solarguy

      I agree Joe, it’s madness!

    3. Miles Harding Avatar
      Miles Harding

      Is this just another example of having dinosaurs in charge?

      I find that a portico, alfresco and “media room” are far more important to the mug punter than good design, solar aspect or energy efficiency, all of which seem absent in project houses.

      Minimum efficiecy standards are not overly helpful, as they are anaemic and tend to enforce mediocrity because builders use them as a goal, not a starting point.

      Here, in WA, its shocking just how many new houses are built with large east and west facing windows*. I can be vrtually guaranteed that these will have a retrofit awning, louvre or blast shield (roller shutter) fitted within a couple of years.

      * Generally there is a gigantic air conditioner listed as a “feature”. It’s essetial to keep these upstairs spaces habitable in the summer.

      1. Joe Avatar
        Joe

        Does ‘The Fremantle Doctor’ help at all?

  2. dougalooga Avatar
    dougalooga

    Let us drive golf carts. Perfect for 90% of driving needs. This is the low hanging fruit. Not Tesla rocket cars

    1. Greg Hudson Avatar
      Greg Hudson

      Search for Tesla ‘Chill mode’. It solves your ‘rocket’ issue 😉

  3. solarguy Avatar
    solarguy

    The last point (5) is a very important one, we can’t let that methane escape at the present and future levels, it really has to be converted into CO2 and produce power in the most efficient way possible.

    1. Joe Avatar
      Joe

      Councils should stop accepting organic waste, to just bury in landfill sites, full stop. Composting is an easy solution. It should be compulsory for every residential lot to home compost their organic waste. I’ve been doing it for decades. No green / organic waste leaves my block, it all goes back from whence it came. My little doers, the worms love doing their business, my garden loves the resulting good stuff especially my home grown tomatoes which thrive each season…win, win all round.

      1. solarguy Avatar
        solarguy

        What we should be doing is using our human waste and green waste to produce and store the methane from digesters at as many sewage treatment works around the country. Although I don’t like the idea of producing CO2, it’s a lot better than allowing methane to go into the atmosphere.

        There could be a healthy and profitable new industry supplying bottled gas to the market. In addition to that the resource could be stored and used to power the grid, in ultra peak times and days of low solar and wind output to fill in the gaps in generation……… and that would be a win, win too!

        Enjoy the tomatoes Joe.

        1. Just_Chris Avatar
          Just_Chris

          IMO the best thing to do with all organic waste is to get it to the local sewage plant convert it into methane, clean it up and then re-inject it back into the gas grid. Preferably as much of the organic waste should travel via the sewage network as possible.

          1. solarguy Avatar
            solarguy

            So your proposing all our veggie waste, should be flushed down the shitter. Shirley, you can’t be serious.

      2. Greg Hudson Avatar
        Greg Hudson

        Not viable on the 45th floor of the Eureka Tower.

        1. Joe Avatar
          Joe

          Try an Indoor worm farm then…compost for your pot plants.

        2. Gyrogordini Avatar
          Gyrogordini

          But most people don’t live on the 45th floor. It’s easy to always find exceptions, but hard to get simple ideas to stick, en masse.

  4. Just_Chris Avatar
    Just_Chris

    Transport and mobility – Melbourne:

    1 – Fleet electrification – currently no EV’s available for under $50k in Australia
    2 – Combustion vehicle reduction – currently no EV’s available for under $50k in Australia, any measure to reduce use of ICE vehicles would punish the poor
    3 – Freight reduction – we’ve built a city with no ring road and the tunnel that goes through the middle of it is off limits to placarded loads leading to all large dangerous freight being forced to drive through the city
    4 – Car free downtown – no reasonable park and ride facilities and limited public transport leading to no cars, no people
    5 – Mobility alternatives – I am not sure what this means
    6 – Public transit – only major city in the developed world without a train to the airport, over 80% of people drive to work
    7 – EV charging – There are about 60 charging stations in Melbourne, 10 less than in the car park at google headquarters in 2011.

    1. Greg Hudson Avatar
      Greg Hudson

      #1 There’s a thing called a Nissan Leaf at around AU$30k

      1. Steve Avatar
        Steve

        Not new

        https://www.carsguide.com.au/nissan/leaf/price/2017

        Having said that – the 2016 model is much cheaper. I will be looking at this car when I replace my BMW i3 is twelve month’s time.

        1. Greg Hudson Avatar
          Greg Hudson

          He didn’t say NEW. However, my statement still applies.

          1. Just_Chris Avatar
            Just_Chris

            To reduce the pollution in Melbourne you would have to take an old polluting car off the road and replace it with a less polluting alternative. Buying a second hand car is not going to increase the number of EV’s on the road and will not reduce pollution in Melbourne.

        2. Gyrogordini Avatar
          Gyrogordini

          I suspect LEAF 2.0 won’t leave much change from $50k, on road – same as (from recent personal experience) Zoe.

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