New Amsterdam Climate Met Energie Aan De Slag
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New Amsterdam Climate Met energie aan de slag Summary of plans and ongoing projects New Amsterdam Climate Foreword In recent years it has become urgently clear that we must find an answer to the climate problem. The city executive of Amsterdam – together with many other parties in our city – wants to face this challenge. We have committed ourselves to reducing our CO2 emissions by 40% in 2025 (compared to 1990). We are duly aware that this is a major endeavour. But we are convinced that it also offers a multiplicity of opportunities, for innovation, for new employment, for other and better organisations and forms of behaviour. In short, it provides opportunities for a richer city in many ways. Based on this conviction, we have established the Amsterdam Climate Office and Marijke Vos have given it the task of getting a movement started Alderman Environment to utilise these opportunities and – simultaneously – to drastically reduce the CO2 emissions. During the past year, the Municipality of Amsterdam has taken the initiative to knock on many doors, almost always with positive results. Often the door was already open, as you can read in this report. It provides an impressive picture of what is already possible and is already being done by many individuals and organisations in Amsterdam who have seen these opportunities, and want to take the lead in their development. We are standing at the beginning of a change that will continue for many years. Even now we can rightfully say that, together with you, we have an outlook on a New Amsterdam Climate! 2 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction New Amsterdam Climate 4 1.1 Municipal organisation To start with, the Municipality itself 10 1.2 City Districts Parts of the solution 14 2 Sustainable energy New energy for Amsterdam 20 3.1 New construction The new approach to building 24 3.2 Existing buildings A city to be won 28 4.1 Small and mid-sized enterprises Business climate 32 4.2 ICT From data centre to playstation 36 5.1 Transport Alternatives on the Road 40 5.2 Port of Amsterdam Sustainable mooring 46 6 Education Learning environment for climate 50 3 New Amsterdam Climate 4 Introduction Global warming is one of the greatest problems of this era. Actually, we should say it is one of the greatest tasks, because the solutions are known. Amsterdam is familiar with that task and also aims to start taking advantage of the opportunities it offers by becoming a leader. If the emissions of greenhouse gases continue to grow ment. This certainly applies to Amsterdam. Inspiration, unabated, the climate on our planet will exceed a criti- sharing expertise, innovating, taking risks, showing cal point within several decades. At that point, a more leadership and taking responsibility: these are the keys or less predictable and liveable climate for people, to success. A huge number of technologies and mea- animals and plants will become a thing of the past, sures can already be applied immediately. And we are probably for centuries to come. going to invent the rest. In concrete terms, this means for example that buil- Where the solution concerns CO2 reduction, the route dings and technical installations will be modified or to a solution is known: energy savings, a drastic reduc- designed differently; that the transport sector will re- tion in the use of fossil fuels plus accelerated develop- new itself; and that we will see rapid developments in ment and application of sustainable energy sources. small-scale and large-scale sustainable energy supply. Everywhere in the world, businesses, institutions, citizens and governments are tackling the enormous This will create additional employment in traditional climate challenge. Amsterdam has a long tradition of and innovative sectors and will put Amsterdam on the pioneering energy and climate policy. As an interim map as a location for sustainable and innovative busi- step on the road to a low-carbon energy system, in nesses. The expectation is that the prices of fossil fuels 2007 the city executive set the goal of reducing the will continue to rise. Therefore, reducing local demand CO2 emissions within the city limits of Amsterdam by while simultaneously developing alternative sources 40% in 2025 (compared to 1990). becomes more and more attractive financially. Revolution in thought and action Together in a leading group In recent decades, the city has already done a great Obviously, the transition can only be achieved if all deal in the area of energy savings and the develop- parties in Amsterdam cooperate. The Municipality ment of alternative energy sources. Nevertheless, the of Amsterdam has taken the initiative to establish a CO2 emissions of Amsterdam have increased signifi- framework of cooperation for climate. To this end, we cantly since 1990. have approached many businesses, institutions and citizen groups since the summer of 2007. During the To transform a ‘slowed increase’ to a ‘drastic reduc- climate conference of 11 December 2007, there was an tion’, emissions must be reduced more quickly. This excellent response, which has grown even further since requires a revolution in thought and action At the pre- then. sent time, we are in the midst of this transition phase. Climate policy also concerns achieving a beneficial The formal framework of cooperation is now a fact. Its economic position on a changing playing field. If we do name: New Amsterdam Climate. To provide the neces- not take account of these changes – the rapid shifts sary support, a bureau has been established specifically in market shares in the automobile industry being an for this purpose: the Amsterdam Climate Office. New excellent example – then this can have serious conse- Amsterdam Climate is made up of citizens, businesses quences for our competitive positions. and institutions who understand the necessity of taking measures, who see the opportunities created by these Moreover, if nature compels us to reinvent our pro- measures, who take a leading role with their climate duction and consumption processes, then this offers policy and who can serve as an example for others. In terrific opportunities for economic and social develop- this way, New Amsterdam Climate ultimately aims to 5 New Amsterdam Climate important developments in the framework of coope- ration of New Amsterdam Climate, beginning with the present edition. This report addresses a number of areas for which CO2 reduction programmes are planned or are being implemented. In addition to the area of the municipal organisation, where the City of Amsterdam takes an especially critical look at itself, these include areas where the city and many important players work together to achieve major reductions by collectively accelerating the process. This report is structured according to these areas: City organisation Sustainable energy Housing; with a distinction between existing housing and new construction create a snowball effect in as many levels of the city as The business community, with attention for small possible. and midsize enterprises and the ICT sector, respec- tively New Amsterdam Climate is a platform where parties Transport and the Port of Amsterdam can: Education find partners for cooperation; inspire and motivate each other; This first report contains a snapshot of the situation share knowledge; in the fall of 2008. For all areas, this concerns especi- detect and remove obstacles; ally the first steps, more or less, that are being taken map out resolutions, actions and results; as part of relatively new frameworks of cooperation. and present annual CO2 reports. Therefore this report also looks many years into the future – rather lightly under the heading ‘Back from the New Amsterdam Climate also wants to establish a Cli- future’ – towards the situation and energy experience mate Fund to provide financial incentives for promising in 2025. initiatives in the areas of energy savings and sustaina- ble energy. Finger on the pulse Who is not participating? Every year, the City of Amsterdam will monitor the The government is in the position of enforcing laws current situation by determining how much CO2 that are only partly or reluctantly complied with. the city has emitted. It will also collect as much But this process is distant from the leading group of information as possible about the CO2 emissions parties who, based on shared insight and a collective that have been avoided due to the various goal, want to accomplish more than is required by law measures. To this end, a model is being constructed and want to take advantage of opportunities. Regar- that will be supplied with information about energy ding the parties in the area between these two extre- use in the following sectors: built environment, mes, New Amsterdam Climate hopes to use its activi- traffic and transport, businesses and the city ties to draw these parties towards the leading group. organisation itself. According to expectations, the annual CO2 report for 2007 will be presented at the Progress reports end of 2008. The Climate Office will periodically report on the most 6 Introduction Building blocks for reduction Taking account of the societal concern about the climate problem, the municipality has formulated the ambition to achieve a 40% CO2 emission reduction in the year 2025 for the entire city (compared to the level in 1990). In addition, the municipality itself aims to set a good example by operating in a CO2- neutral fashion by 2015. The municipality has of course also considered the question of whether these ambitions are feasible. At the end of 2007, the report ‘Building blocks for the Amsterdam CO2 reduction programme’ was published. By extrapolating current developments, this report first determined what the emission level in 2025 would be without additional policy. It then addressed the question of which This framework of cooperation aims to act as a magnet measures are available to reduce the CO2 emission and a podium for positive energy.