climate innovations study tour - boston green ribbon ......in june of 2016, 24 intrepid travelers...

Climate Innovations Study TourLessons Learned in

The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden

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Lessons Learned

AGENDA

Study Tour Overview and Purpose

Key Observations

Opportunities and Next Steps

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Group included:

• City and State Agency Chiefs and Senior staff: Environment, Energy, Planning, and Resilience

• Boston City Council Members

• MA Legislators

• Academic and NGO Experts

• Business Leaders

• Philanthropy Professionals

CLIMATE INNOVATIONS STUDY TOUR: OVERVIEW

In June of 2016, 24 intrepid travelers from Boston and the Commonwealth visited the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, seeking to understand the leading edge practices for climate-ready and carbon-free cities.

Delegation in Amsterdam’s Edge Building, the highest rated BREEAM building in the world, developed by OVG.


June 12 June 13 June 14 June 15 June 16 June 17

Shifted focus to mitigation strategies in Denmark and Sweden

Focus on adaptation and resiliency strategies in the Netherlands Middelgrunden Offshore

Wind Farm in Copenhagen

Västra Hamnen, Malmö carbon neutral districtDeltares Institute for applied research on water management

Maeslant Storm Barrier in Rotterdam

Amsterdam Delft Rotterdam Copenhagen Copenhagen Malmö


Malmö, Sweden

Copenhagen, Denmark

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Delft, the Netherlands

European Host Cities


TOPICS COVERED

Sea Level Rise Inland Flooding Energy Transition Mobility

Icons by Luis Prado, Marc Serre, and Edward Boatman, Noun project

Climate Preparedness Climate Mitigation


Lessons Learned

AGENDA


Key Observations


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KEY OBSERVATIONS

It is possible for a city to be carbon-free and climate ready

Progress required new capacity for governance, financing, and

regulations

Host cities developed a compelling shared vision for climate change

action

Climate action came through citizen engagement and building

political will

Climate planning embraces experimentation, innovation, and

possibility

Climate Innovations Study Tour

Lessons Learned

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CARBON-FREE AND CLIMATE-READY CITIES

With existing and emerging technologies, host cities are accomplishing:


Lessons Learned

Long-term resilience to climate impacts, including more intense

precipitation and sea level rise

A carbon-free economy

High quality of life and a robust economy

Photos by Mariella Puerto

Protective levee in AmsterdamBike commuters in Copenhagen


ECONOMIC GROWTH DECOUPLED FROM

CARBON EMISSIONS

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CAPACITY FOR GOVERNANCE, FINANCING, AND REGULATIONS

Progress required new capacity for governance, financing, and regulation. Host cities aligned goals and activities across sectors at multiple scales.

Dedicated and significant financing for climate mitigation and adaptation

Long-term planning horizons

Climate governance insulated from short-term political changes

Host cities had:

Photo source: Delta Commission

The Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier in the Netherlands, part of the country’s Delta Works system to protect the country from flooding.

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SHARED VISION FOR CLIMATE ACTION

Host cities developed a compelling shared vision for climate change. Climate change is seen as an opportunity to improve quality of life.

Co-Create Copenhagen: Livable, Responsible City with an Edge

Rotterdam Water City: Living with Water


Lessons Learned Photo source: City of Copenhagen

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COMMUNITY VALUE

Climate investments create new value for the community by serving multiple functions.


Lessons Learned

The Zoho District in Rotterdam has a public space and recreation area that also serves as a water storage area during heavy rain

Västra Hamnen, Malmö: Europe’s first carbon neutral district, where all homes have a view of the ocean, green space, or artwork

Rotterdam photo by Ossip van Duivenbode

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CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AND BUILDING POLITICAL WILL

Host cities built political will and cultivated climate champions through broad engagement and involvement of stakeholder groups.

Social resiliency is connected to climate resiliency in the host cities. Use adaptation and mitigation to build better neighborhoods and to create

opportunities for all citizens Host cities acknowledged challenges and the need for more action on social

resiliency


Lessons Learned Photo source: City of Amsterdam (left) and City of Rotterdam (right)

Green Roofs Program in Rotterdam

Mapping network engagement in Amsterdam’sRainproof program


DEVELOPMENT AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CLIMATE ACTION

Development requirements were a key part of the success of the host cities.

Development requirements match climate plans and goals for mitigation and resilience• Copenhagen's Climate Secretariat

reviews all development and ensures it aligns with climate goals and plans

Action is encouraged on private land• Rotterdam and Amsterdam mix

requirements and incentives for water management on private land

The Edge Building in Amsterdam, where developers exceeded regulatory requirements for sustainability

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INSTITUTIONALIZING CAPACITY FOR CLIMATE ACTION

Public agencies and quasi-public agencies in host cities serve a broader purpose that supports climate action


Lessons Learned

Host cities mainstreamed climate action into the everyday governance of existing institutions

Host cities established new governance structures when existing agencies could not manage climate challenges

The Netherlands has dedicated water governance structures at all levels: local, regional, and national

Middelgrunden off-shore wind farm in Copenhagen

Photo by Amy Longsworth

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FROM PILOT PROJECTS TO LARGE-SCALE CHANGE


Lessons Learned

Green Roof in Rotterdam

Programs and actions extend far beyond pilot or demonstration projects. Implementation takes place at expansive scales.

Rotterdam incentivizes and requires water management on private land, which supports large-scale implementation of green roofs and other green infrastructure

Biking infrastructure in Copenhagen

Copenhagen’s transition towards a bicycle friendly city began with incremental steps and evaluation of results and now the city is the most bicycle-friendly in the world

Green roof photo by Carl Spector


CONVENIENCE VIA SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY

Bridge photo source: HOE 360 Consulting

Copenhagen made alternatives to cars the faster, cheaper, and more convenient options.

Copenhagen Bicycle Statistics:

The city has over 390 kilometers (242 miles) of

designated bike lanes

63% of all trips in the city are made by bike

There are five bicycles to every car in the city

Copenhageners cycle 1.34 million kilometers a

day (833,000 miles)

88 percent of city residents cycle because it is

faster, easier, and more convenient

In 2014, 26% of all families with two or more

children had a cargo bike or a bicycle trailer

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THE ROLE FOR RISK AND INNOVATION


Lessons Learned Photo by John McQuaid, Flickr

Climate planning and governance embraces experimentation, innovation and possibility.

Maeslant Storm Barrier, Rotterdam

Maeslant Storm Surge Barrier:

The world’s largest moveable

barrier

Part of a system to protect the Port

and City of Rotterdam from

flooding during coastal storms

Constructed between 1991 and

1997 and in operation since

Each storm surge door is the length

of the Eiffel Tower: 240 meters each

Cost to build: 450 million Euros

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CRISIS TRIGGERS ACTION

The level of resolve and willingness to commit serious resources to climate solutions was motivated by crises in the host cities.

Netherlands had major national floods in the 1950s, with mass fatalities

Denmark experienced a threat to its energy security in the 1970s as well as recent floods from cloudbursts


Lessons Learned

The challenge for Boston and the Commonwealth is to proactively prepare before the next disaster.

Photo source: City of Copenhagen

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REMAINING CHALLENGES AND AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

While all the host cities have areas of exceptional best practice, no place was succeeding on all fronts.

Amsterdam and Rotterdam: Less progress on transitioning to clean energy. Citizenry are less engaged on resiliency issues.

Copenhagen: Not yet strongly addressing sea level rise. Relies heavily on waste incineration and biomass as source of “clean” energy.


Lessons Learned

Amager Bakke, Copenhagen’s new waste-to-energy plant


Lessons Learned

AGENDA


Key Observations


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OPPORTUNITIES

Clockwise from upper left: district heating and cooling; carbon-neutral neighborhood; harbor front beach; bicycle infrastructure expansion; and support for research and testing on resiliency(bicycle and harbor photos from the City of Copenhagen).

.

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OPPORTUNITIES

Clockwise from upper left: local renewable power; energy-efficient and smart buildings; levees; storm barrier protections; and green roofs and infrastructure (wind power photo from the City of

Copenhagen).

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IMPLICATIONS FOR BOSTON


Lessons Learned

Boston and the Commonwealth are on the right path, but have many steps still to take to build political will and expand governance, financing, and regulatory structures to achieve their climate goals.

Climate Ready Boston, Carbon Free Boston, and the Global Warming Solutions Act provide a framework for the vision and goals for climate action in Boston and the Commonwealth

However, Boston needs to more clearly couple “climate ready” and “carbon ready” with an improved quality of life and share this message via citizen engagement

Climate investments should create new value for the community while integrating existing challenges of social and economic equity

Boston has pursued pilot projects, but the challenge now is to scale this work and turn climate action into a systematic and integral part of the city and state’s work

Boston and the Commonwealth should act before a crisis hits


WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS

Boston Delegation with Dutch water experts from Deltares

Photo by Deltares


CONTACT INFORMATION

• Placeholder for presenters to add their contact information


Lessons Learned

APPENDIX 1: ADDITIONAL TOUR INFORMATION


TOUR RESOURCES

The Boston Green Ribbon Commission’s online library houses additional information for the study tour, including the tour briefing book and presentation decks from host cities:

www.greenribboncommission.org/library

Photos from the City of Rotterdam (left) and the City of Copenhagen (right)

http://www.greenribboncommission.org/library/?fwp_library_topics=eu-study-tour


STUDY TOUR PARTICIPANTS• Austin Blackmon, Chief, Environment, Energy and Open Space, City of Boston• Carl Spector, Commissioner, Environment Department, City of Boston• Atyia Martin, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Boston• Sara Myerson, Director of Planning, Boston Redevelopment Authority• Michelle Wu, President, Boston City Council• Sal LaMattina, Boston City Council Member• Senator Stan Rosenberg, President, MA State Senate• Senator Marc Pacheco, Senate President Pro Tempore and Founding Chair of the Senate

Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change• Ned Bartlett, Undersecretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Commonwealth of MA• Dan Sieger, Assistant Secretary for Environment, Commonwealth of MA• Amos Hostetter, Trustee, Barr Foundation• Jim Canales, President, Barr Foundation• Mariella Puerto, Senior Program Officer, Climate, Barr Foundation• Mary Skelton-Roberts, Senior Program Officer, Climate, Barr Foundation• Bud Ris, Senior Climate Advisor, Barr Foundation• Philip Edmundson, CEO, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. • Bill Fahey, Senior Vice President of the Municipal and Commercial Business’ Technical Support,

Veolia North America• Rick Dimino, President, A Better City• David Cash, Dean, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, UMass Boston• Paul Kirshen, Professor of Climate Adaptation, School for the Environment, UMass Boston• John Cleveland, Executive Director, GRC• Amy Longsworth, Director, GRC• Wilson Rickerson, CEO, Meister Consultants Group• Julie Curti, Consultant, Meister Consultants Group


Lessons Learned

APPENDIX 2: CLIMATE CONTEXT IN

BOSTON AND MASSACHUSETTS


Lessons Learned

CONTEXT: BOSTON’S CLIMATE ACTION GOALS

Boston Climate Action Plan

MITIGATIONAchieve 25% GHG reduction by 2020 and

80% by 2050 below 2005 levels.

CLIMATE PREPAREDNESSMake Boston resilient to anticipated

effects of climate change.

Sector-based Goals for 2020: Reduce emissions from neighborhoods 8% from 2013 level (25% below

2005 level) Reduce emissions from large buildings and institutions 12.5% from 2013

level (25% below 2005 level) Reduce transportation emissions 17% (25% below 2005 level)

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CARBON FREE BOSTON

• Establish feasible scenarios for 2050 that result in an 80%+ reduction in GHG emissions

• Develop interim goals and initiatives through 2030 that are aligned with the long-term goal

The “Carbon Free Boston” initiative addresses the need to transition from old, dirty carbon-based fuels to 100% clean

and renewable energy sources in every sector of the economy. It is a necessary ambition that will require us to change how we create and distribute electricity, how we

heat our homes and offices, how we transport people and goods, and how we handle waste.


Goal: Generate solutions for resilient buildings, neighborhoods, and infrastructure to help Boston and its metro region prosper in the face of long-term climate change impact, include sea level rise, coastal and storm water flooding, and extreme temperatures.

Sea Level Rise StormsExtreme

TemperaturesExtreme

Precipitation

Boston will be wetter, warmer, and saltier: Rainfall from storms will increase, the number of very hot days will increase, and relative sea level in Boston will rise.


Green Communities Act: mandated three-year energy efficiency plans for utilities with stakeholder input, promoted renewables by adopting a regional power plant C02 cap and trade program and strengthening the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, and established the Green Communities Program.

Global Warming Solutions Act: requires the Commonwealth to set state-wide GHG emission reduction goals to reach 80 percent reductions by 2050.

MA Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020: set the state’s emission reduction goal to 25% below 1990 levels by 2020. An updated plan was released in 2016

Context: Climate Action in Massachusetts

Baseline Year 1990 1990

Reduction %

Target Year 2020 2050

25% 80%

GHG Emission Reduction Goals:

climate innovations study tour - boston green ribbon ......in june of 2016, 24 intrepid travelers...

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