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European Green City Index | Zurich_Switzerland European Green City Index | Zurich_Switzerland to lead by example with its own vehicle fleet. All new city buses that are diesel fuelled are required to have particle filters, with older vehicles being retrofitted. Diesel-driven machines at city building sites are also required to have particle filters. The city has set up a warning and intervention regime on air pollution. When the particle pollution level rises above a certain level, the city warns citizens and advises low car use. Other initiatives include lower speed limits, bans on wood-burning furnaces without filters and (from 2010) a ban on agricultural machines without particle filters. Air quality: Zurich ranks ninth for air quality, not one of the city’s stronger categories, although its air is of reasonable quality. Zurich is held back particularly by its ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide emissions, although measures of particulate matter are low. In terms of air quality, Zurich suffers partly from its location in the flat land in front of the Alpine massif, where smog ceilings can build up. Transport is also one of the main local air polluters. The city is working hard to improve its air quality, and gets full marks in the clean air policies sub-category. Initiatives: With regards to traffic-generated air pollution, Zurich’s administration is aiming Environmental governance: Zurich ranks 11th overall in the category for environmental governance. The city is publicly committed to pursuing an ambitious environmental programme, which is embodied by the Masterplan Environment strategy paper. The approval by popular referendum to embed the 2,000-WattSociety programme into city legislation suggests that the council’s environmental drive is supported by the population. However, the city faces an obstacle in Switzerland’s federal structure, which divides power among municipalities, cantons and the federal government. In particular, the canton of Zurich has some environmental competencies that can overlap with those of the city. The city has won a number of awards on energy and is a member of the Covenant of Mayors. Photography: Boris Adolf for Siemens Initiatives: The city is investing heavily in district heating technology, based in part on waste-toenergy technology, with a number of new furnaces built and connected to the network in 2007-08. The installation operators have formed a society to leverage buying power and synergies, and annually burn 870,000 tonnes of rubbish, which includes 67,000 tonnes of sewage sludge. Green City Zurich is the city department responsible for all types of land from parks, green fields and water edges to playgrounds and graveyards, with an aim to preserve and extend the city’s green spaces. In the past three years it has redeveloped four streams in North Zurich to provide greener and more accessible streams to surrounding areas. Zurich_Switzerland Quantitative Indicators: Zurich Average Zurich Year Source 5.21 3.70 2004 Umweltbericht (CO2 emissions); Statistics Zurich (population) 356.12 25.46 2004 Umweltbericht (CO2 emissions); Statistics Zurich (GDP) CO2 reduction target to 2020 (% pa, from yr in which target set) 14.48 15.00 1 2007 City of Zurich Energy consumption per capita (GJ/inhabitant) 80.87 94.75 2004 Environment department Zurich (energy); Statistics Zurich (population) Energy consumption per unit GDP (MJ/€ GDP) 5.25 0.65 2004 Environment department Zurich (energy); Statistics Zurich (GDP) CO2 emissions per capita (tonnes/inhabitant) CO2 emissions per unit GDP (g/€) % of renewable energy consumed by the city (%) Z 7.30 5.14 2004 Environment department Zurich 908.88 728.63 2004 Environment department Zurich (energy); Statistics Zurich (floor space) Share of people walking or cycling to work (%) 20.94 18.50 2005 City of Zurich Share of people taking public transport to work (%) 41.56 43.50 2005 City of Zurich Length of cycle lanes (km/km2) 1.15 3.43 2006 City of Zurich Select city data Length of public transport network (km/km2) 2.33 3.14 2007 Statistics Zurich Population: 377,000 105.43 114.84 2008 Statistics Zurich GDP per head, PPP: € 32,455 Energy consumption of residential buildings (MJ/m2) Annual water consumption per capita (m3/inhabitant) Water system leakages (%) 22.63 11.67 2008 Statistics Zurich CO2 emissions per head: Dwellings connected to the sewage system (%) 95.02 100.00 2008 City of Zurich Energy consumption per head: Percentage of renewable energy consumed by the city: 3.70 tonnes* 94.75 gigajoules 510.93 406.33 2006 Statistics Zurich Share of waste recycled (%) 17.62 34.00 2007 Statistics Zurich Average daily nitrogen dioxide emissions (ug/m3) 35.18 33.58 2007 EEA airbase Average daily ozone emissions (ug/m3) 40.38 45.50 2007 EEA airbase Total percentage of citizens walking, cycling or taking public transport to work: Average daily particulate matter (ug/m3) 34.86 21.37 2007 EEA airbase Annual water consumption per head: 6.96 4.28 2005 EEA airbase Share of waste recycled: Municipal waste per capita (kg/inhabitant) Average daily SO2 emissions (ug/m3) 1) The CO2 reduction target is set at a national level. Zurich has more ambitious targets defined in different terms, i.e. max 1mio t CO2 emissions per person 4 5.14 %* 62 % 114.84 m3 34% urich is Switzerland’s most cosmopolitan city, with a population of nearly 400,000, based at the northern end of Lake Zurich. The most important industry in the city is the financial services sector, which includes banking, insurance and other financial activities. Zurich also acts as a hub for the Swiss-German media, advertising and public-relations sector. Manufacturing makes a relatively low contribution to the city’s economy, but tourism and business travel bring in a substantial number of visitors. Because of Switzerland’s federal structure, Zurich’s environmental performance is regulated and influenced by the three levels of federal, cantonal and city regulations. Zurich ranks sixth overall in the index, with a score of 82.31 out of 100. With the exception of a rank of 11th place for environmental governance, the city is consistently placed in the top ten for all of the index categories, making it a strong overall performer. Particularly strong scores are seen for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and waste and land use. Zurich’s main business activities, being service-oriented, have a relatively low environmental impact, giving the city a comparative advantage from which to tackle environmental issues. The high quality and reach of local (and national) public transport is a further benefit. Like many other top performers in the index, Zurich is also relatively small in size, giving it an additional structural advantage. CO2 emissions: Zurich ranks in third place in the category for CO2 emissions, one of its best scores in the index. The city’s estimated CO2 emissions per inhabitant is a comparatively low 3.7 tonnes (sixth-lowest of all cities), compared with a 30-city average of 5 tonnes. Its CO2 emissions per unit of GDP are also among the lowest at just 25.5 grams per euro of GDP (the 30-city *Estimate 1 European Green City Index | Zurich_Switzerland CO2 10 8 Environmental governance Energy 6 4 2 Air Quality 0 Buildings Waste and Land Use Transport Water Zurich Best Average Watt’s the story In November 2008 the city electorate voted to embed the goal of the 2,000-Watt-Society in city legislation. This requires the city to work towards the goal of energy use of 2,000 watts per person per year, in contrast with the current 6,000 watts. This requires a longterm reorientation of thinking towards lower energy use, building construction and renovation to achieve better insulation, a significant reduction in CO2 and other pollutant emissions and a higher uptake of renewable energies. The 2,000-Watt-Society is a longterm goal, which sets the tone for current and upcoming programmes related to the environment. In this context, EnergieVision 2020 is intended as a stepping stone towards the ultimate goal of a 2,000-watt society. This sub-project focuses on the energy efficiency of buildings, renewable energies and electricity efficiency, including the establishment of some flagship “lighthouse” projects that show the city’s long-term goal and its determination to achieve it. The theoretical underpinnings of the 2,000-Watt-Society programme were drawn up by a team of researchers at the Zurich Federal Technology average being far higher at 356 grams). The city’s policy action on CO2 emissions reduction is relatively limited, as this aim is pursued at a national level, where the federal government has agreed to reduce carbon emissions by 10% from the 1990 level by 2010, as part of its Kyoto protocol commitments. Since Switzerland is outside the EU, the country is not involved in the EU’s CO2 emissions-reduction schemes. However, Zurich’s good performance on CO2 emissions is primarily attributable to the low incidence of heavy industry and limited reliance on carbon fossil fuels for electricity production, rather than to policy measures. Initiatives: The city’s electricity company, EWZ, builds, runs and finances the energy supply of third parties, as a form of „energy contracting“. In comparison with conventional installations, the newly built or renovated installations have reduced CO2 emissions by 11,900 tonnes per year as of 2009, through methods such as the use of lake water or of wastewater from sewage works as a source of heating. The city’s district heating installations draw their energy from the burning of rubbish and waste. District heating in Zurich creates around 54% fewer CO2 emissions than heating oil, which is the standard national heating method. A new wood-burning plant, Aubrugg, will supply 10,000 households and cut the production of CO2 emissions by around 25,000 tonnes per year. College. Energy: Zurich ranks in sixth place in the category for energy. The city scores the highest of all 30 cities in the index for its energy consumption per unit of GDP: at 0.7 megajoules per euro it is far below the average of about 5 megajoules. However, Zurich has a high energy use per head, at 95 gigajoules per inhabitant (the average is about 81 gigajoules). The city’s energy sources 2 include oil products, nuclear and hydroelectric power, natural gas, and waste and biomass. About 5% of the city’s overall energy consumption is from renewable sources. Zurich gained a European Energy Award in 2008 for its use of energy and the deployment of renewable energy. Initiative: Recognising the high energy consumption of buildings, particularly older ones, Zurich has introduced energy-coaching facilities, with the intention of promoting competent renovation and construction of buildings to reduce energy use. Environmental professionals provide advice and training to architects and engineers, as well as households, including on using renewable energy technologies, which have fiscal incentives. Buildings: Zurich ranks ninth in the buildings category, one of its lowest scores. The city’s climate is cooler than most, meaning that buildings are required to have insulation to avoid energy losses. There are fiscal incentives to renovate old buildings in a manner that increases their energy efficiency, and these are provided at the city, cantonal and federal level. The energy consumption of Zurich’s residential buildings is better than the index average, at 729 megajoules per square metre, compared with 909 megajoules. The city is working to lower its energy consumption, and has adopted a range of policies to encourage this, enabling Zurich to rank in joint first place in the sub-category for energy-efficient buildings incentives. Initiatives: The „Seven-mile steps for environmentally friendly and energy-saving building“ programme aims to renovate city administration buildings according to the Minergie standard, a low-energy-consumption standard developed in Switzerland, which will result in buildings consuming half the energy of other buildings in the country. About 90% of new buildings now comply with this standard. The construction of a new ward for the hospital in the Triemli quarter, started in late 2008, is intended to be a flagship example of energyefficient construction according to the 2,000Watt-Society principles (targeting energy consumption of 2,000 watt per person, down from the current 6,000 watt) and the stricter Minergie-P standard. This should reduce the building’s energy requirements by 70% and electricity consumption by 5%. The estate’s energy supply is to be redeveloped to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels to almost zero. Transport: Zurich is ranked in sixth place in the transport category. There is a widespread, wellconnected public transport network, encompassing trams, buses, local trains and boats. Zurich boasts the best non-car transport network of all 30 cities, but private car use is nonetheless heavy, especially outside the city centre. The city is working to reduce the impact and incidence of this form of transport, but regulatory incentives are fairly light, especially when compared with some of the more stringent initiatives in other cities, such as congestion charging. The share of people taking public transport to work is around 44%, slightly better than the 42% average, with another 19% walking or cycling (marginally below the 21% average). Initiatives: Zurich is seeking to take heavy traffic out of the city. In that context, the opening in 2009 of the western bypass motorway has been a significant step towards getting heavy transit traffic to avoid the city altogether. Local train lines are being built (AlstettenZurich Central-Oerlikon) and extended (Knonaueramt and Furttal), as existing lines have come close to their capacity limits. Water: Zurich ranks in joint fifth place, with Copenhagen, in the category for water. It is surrounded by natural water sources (two rivers and a lake). The quality of water delivered by the city is high and originates from Lake Zurich (70%), spring water (15%) and ground water (15%). The water sourced from the lake is purified in a process with several steps, while the other two sources undergo almost no extra treatment beyond the natural filtration process. Zurich scores full marks for water treatment and water efficiency, and has a level of water consumption per head of 115 cubic metres per year, only slightly above the average of 105 cubic metres. Leakage rates, at 12%, are well below the average of 23%. Initiatives: To guard against the danger of flooding, which could contaminate drinking water, city officials are drawing up a risk map of the city identifying the areas that are most susceptible to flooding, and taking measures to reinforce protection at those locations. The city of Zurich is using the services of a non-governmental organisation, Pusch (Practical Environmental Protection Switzerland), to educate school children about the production process and the importance of water. Reusing sludge for heating and power Zurich is using one environmental process to create a product for another environmentally friendly outcome. The city’s wastewater is cleaned in the sewage works, and after the cleaned water is deposited into the river Limmat the remaining sludge is used to generate heat and electricity. The sludge generates biogas, which four heat-coupling systems convert into energy. In 2008 this process produced 18 million kwh of heat for district heating and over 16 million kwh of electricity. The sewage works now also accepts sludge from other sewage works, at a cost, thus providing a means for other regional works to get rid of their sludge. Waste and land use: Zurich ranks in second place in the category for waste and land use, its best individual ranking overall. Waste production per head is below the average (406 kg per inhabitant, compared with 511 kg), whereas recycling rates are well above average (34%, compared with 18%). The city scores full marks for waste reduction policies (reflecting a high interest in recycling waste) and for green land use. The waste removal directorate of the city is the largest energy producer in the city, using waste rubbish and water to produce heat for district heating networks and electricity. 3