Climate change & the city
The climate is one of the major issues in society. It is also a very broad topic, making it impossible to include all aspects in this feature article. The emphasis here is on the elements of climate change that play a part in the municipality and which we as a city are also monitoring. The following themes are discussed:
Climate change & the city
Climate mitigation
An important part of the city’s climate policy is the reduction of climate change. Specifically, this involves reducing the CO2 emissions of both households and businesses in the city. This can be done in four ways: saving on energy consumption, renewable energy, gas-free neighbourhoods and emission-free transport. In a separate chapter, we discuss the circular economy because of its broader impact.
Saving energy: fewer CO2 emissions
CO2 emissions per resident in Utrecht decreased by 16% between 2019 and 2022. The main reason for this was the cleaner production of electricity in the Netherlands. Energy consumption also dropped by 4% in 2022. National figures show that greenhouse gas emissions dropped by a further 6% in 2023. Emissions are now 34% lower than in 1990 (the target is 55% lower than in 1990 by 2030). In households and the services sector, excluding mobility, the decrease was 10% last year.
Residents' efforts to save energy and the environment decreased between 2021 and 2023. The years before, by contrast, saw an increase in those efforts (2023 Population Survey). Slightly fewer Utrecht residents opt for environmentally friendly transport, eat according to more environmentally friendly principles or separate household waste. On the other hand, more and more residents indicated that their home is insulated. In addition to double glazing (83%), floor insulation (49%), roof insulation (51%) and wall insulation (57%) are increasingly mentioned. Cooking with electricity is quickly gaining in popularity. In this respect, Utrecht residents with an owner-occupied home are more likely to take energy-saving measures than those with a rented home.
Renewable energy: 10% consumption of electricity from renewable sources
Renewable sources are natural sources that are constantly being replenished: sun, wind, hydropower, biomass, soil and open-air heat. Almost half (48%) of the electricity production nationwide came from renewable sources in 2023. In 2022, 10% of electricity consumption in Utrecht came from Utrecht's renewable sources; a significantly lower figure than the national average. This has to do with, among other things, the offshore wind farms and large solar arrays in areas where there is room for them. Incidentally, the share of renewable energy in Utrecht is increasing rapidly (from 6% in 2020).
Utrecht has an increasing number of solar panels; 36% of its roofs now have panels, more than in 2022 (29%). At present, there are no wind turbines within the municipal boundaries of Utrecht. The grid congestion problem occurs in parallel with the ambition to source more energy from renewable sources. The existing electricity grid cannot cope with the growth in energy consumption. At the same time, generated energy, especially wind and solar energy, causes peak loads on the supply grid. Both grid expansion and peak load shaving are required to meet energy demand in the growing city.
Natural gas-free districts: 29% of homes do not have a gas connection
One of the main ambitions of the energy transition is to make homes and businesses gas-free. Per the national ambition, the goal for 2050 is to have no more homes with a natural gas connection. Utrecht currently has a relatively high proportion of homes without a gas connection (29%; 48,000 homes). The national figure is around 10%. The Transitievisie Warmte (Heat Transition Vision) details the ambition, setting out the municipality’s aim to have a total of 40,000 homes disconnected from gas by 2035, with an effective alternative for heating, cooking and hot tap water. That being said, in recent years, about 5,000 homes and buildings have stopped using gas on the initiative of private individuals or housing associations.
Emission-free transport: the number of charging points has grown by 11%
At the end of 2023, there were more than 5,500 public or semi-public charging points for cars in Utrecht, 11% more than the year before. Utrecht has a relatively large number of charging points compared with the three other major cities (G3), namely 15 per 1,000 inhabitants (Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, 11-13 charging points).
Utrecht is also trying to convince people to make healthy transport choices such as walking and cycling (10-minute city). Walking to the city centre is gaining in popularity. On an average working day, one-third of the journeys within Utrecht are made on foot. The number of journeys by bicycle in the city is also increasing. At selected measuring points in the city, 5% more cyclists have been counted in the past year. Around 42% of the journeys of Utrecht residents within the city are by bicycle, the highest share in the G4 (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht). Nine out of ten Utrecht residents have a bicycle.
Climate adaptation
Climate change is becoming increasingly visible thanks to extreme weather conditions such as heavy rainfall, heat waves and rising temperatures and their consequences such as flooding and heat stress. How do we deal with climate change, or climate adaptation, in Utrecht? And what do residents think of climate change?
40% of panel members usually/always feel stressed about climate change
Of all the topics we presented to the Bewonerspanel (Residents' Panel, 7.000 Utrecht residents), climate change was stressful for most people. Two in five (40%) indicated that they usually or always experience stress about it. This is significantly higher among people below the age of 35 (56%). Last year, more panellists felt stressed about it. 57% of the panel members indicated that they have suffered from the heat in the past year. Almost half (48%) indicated that they have taken climate-proof measures in the past year (such as removing paving slabs, using water barrels or planting trees).
Green spaces: 50% of neighbourhoods do not meet the target of having 40% green space
The presence of green spaces and surface water is increasingly seen as an important factor in climate adaptation (such as heat stress and flooding). That said, Atlas Research states that the presence of green and blue elements alongside streets still has a limited impact on the attractiveness of a residential area. In streets where many green and blue elements have been added, the impact of heat stress is smaller. This is where, for example, older people who are vulnerable to heat can find shade and places to cool down. Utrecht ranks 49th out of the 50 largest municipalities when it comes to distance from the home to a cool space (share of homes further than 300 metres from a cool space). In Utrecht, 50% of neighbourhoods do not yet meet the target of having 40% green space in the city’s horizontal plan.
Owing to the growth in the number of inhabitants, the amount of public green space per household has dropped slightly over the past year. Satisfaction with neighbourhood parks is relatively high at 72% but has returned to pre-pandemic levels due to a recent decline. Residents can also contribute to a green environment themselves. Greening gardens and roofs provides cooling in the summer and is good for water regulation. One in ten Utrecht residents indicated that they have a green roof.
Water: 11% of Residents’ Panel members experience water ingress into their properties
Water has become a more important theme again in the Netherlands in recent years, partly because of climate change. The extremes are becoming increasingly visible: periods of heavy rainfall and high tides are followed by prolonged drought. This is also something we have to deal with in the city, and the theme of water is increasingly affecting other disciplines such as spatial planning, nature management and climate science.
Residents also find themselves grappling with the theme of water, increasingly often. A survey among the members of the Bewonerspanel (Residents' Panel) in early 2024 shows that some of the members have experienced flooding in the past year. 11% experienced water infiltrating into their properties (through the basement) and 39% indicated that water sometimes/often remains on the street for more than 30 minutes. More often, they experience problems with water quality, such as contamination (60% sometimes/often), a thick layer of duckweed (46%) or foul-smelling water (44%).
Circular economy
Utrecht is working towards a circular economy by 2050; the goal is to use half as many primary raw materials such as minerals, metals and fossil raw materials by 2030. This is in line with national ambitions. The ambition is having an impact throughout society, from construction and manufacturing to healthcare, waste separation and food preparation.
The role of the municipality towards a circular economy lies in creating a level playing field for circular products, creating support and acting as a link between people, organisations and networks. In Utrecht, for example, there is an ecosystem of circular business parks known as the ‘Zone for circular entrepreneurship’ (zone voor circulair ondernemen) (Lageweide, Werkspoorkwartier, Strijkviertel).
Circular municipality: 45% of purchasing tenders are circular tenders
The municipality of Utrecht wants to set a good example. In 2023, 45% of municipal purchasing tenders were circular tenders. There has been an upward trend since 2014 (start of measurement) when this was virtually nil. The raw material depletion (the single use of raw materials) aspect of municipal purchasing differs from one product to another and is highest when purchasing land and civil engineering services. On the other hand, the raw material depletion aspect of waste processing is sharply negative (owing to its reuse).
Less waste per resident; rating of waste collection is dropping
The new waste collection system (whereby only recyclable waste is collected separately from the home) has been implemented in almost the entire city. The amount of waste per resident has been decreasing since 2020, just like in other major cities. The share that is collected separately is considerably higher in Utrecht than in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague (G3). This has to do, among other things, with the lower proportion of high rise apartments in Utrecht and the fact that in G3 waste is often not collected separately in high-rise buildings. Residents' rating of the collection system has dropped compared with 2021. There are 10,000 registered voluntary waste collectors in Utrecht who clean up litter. The environmental impact of the city's growth is expressed in the environmental performance of buildings( MPG). At 0.63, the score for new homes is below the national standard of 0.8 but has been at the same level for several years.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity includes the totality of bacteria, fungi, plants and animals in the city. Biodiversity is under pressure worldwide, and that includes Utrecht. A nature-inclusive urban design with lots of greenery not only gives animals their food, shelter and breeding grounds, it also stops noise, purifies the air, provides cool spaces and helps to collect rainwater; matters that certainly also affect Utrecht. In this sense, there is a direct relationship with climate adaptation.
Cities are important when it comes to biodiversity
A report by Sweco (2022) shows that cities can make an important contribution to the restoration of biodiversity. Today, biodiversity in cities is in many cases higher than in rural areas, because there is much variation and variety in the landscape and few pesticides are used. According to the WUR, cities are also increasingly being discovered by wild animals and plants, making the city a completely new ecosystem in its own right with a unique combination of species and interactions. The design of the city has an impact on biodiversity: architecture, construction methods, infrastructure, urban greenery (including roofs), temporary nature (on construction sites), cemeteries, sports parks and water play a part. The maintenance of green spaces also has an impact (mowing schedules). In addition to public space, private gardens are also important, for example, as a nesting place for birds and bats. Trees play a crucial role in biodiversity, both in terms of species diversity and the presence of dead wood.
We monitor biodiversity in Utrecht on the basis of about thirty organisms (Big 30). The monitoring system for this is still under construction; some organisms on the list are difficult to measure. The state of flora and fauna is also subject to sometimes large fluctuations each year, owing to, among other things, construction work or weather influences. A good example of a biodiversity-enhancing neighbourhood in Utrecht is the ecological residential area of Kersentuin (Leidsche Rijn).
Publicatiedatum: 24-04-2024