Transportation will soon account for 60 percent of Helsinki’s emissions

Helsinki is committed to mitigating and adapting to climate change, even though the city alone cannot stop global climate change. Forum Virium Helsinki, the City of Helsinki’s innovation company, organized the Open Forum event in late April in Helsinki, which focused on adaptation to climate change.

Hanna Wesslin, Helsinki’s Climate Director and the event’s keynote speaker, emphasised the crucial role of cities in climate work at the Open Forum. Helsinki’s carbon emissions have decreased significantly, but transportation is emerging as proportionally the largest source of emissions.

“Transportation emissions will soon account for 60 percent of Helsinki’s total emissions,” Wesslin stated.

Sami Sahala, Senior Specialist at Forum Virium Helsinki, who specialises in smart transportation, explained that the climate resilience of mobility can be improved by, for example, reducing traffic volume, transitioning to low-emission vehicles, choosing appropriately sized vehicles, and optimising traffic flow with smart solutions. The increase in remote work also reduces transportation emissions. Additionally, nature-based adaptation measures and innovations, such as green tram stops, can enhance the attractiveness of public transport.

Green Solutions and Energy-Efficient Construction as Solutions

According to Wesslin, cities must prepare for climate risks such as heavy rainfall, floods, and heatwaves. For instance, the elderly are at risk during heatwaves. The city aims to solve these problems with solutions like green infrastructure, which slows down the flow of water from heavy rains by binding water and cooling the air.

Pyry Tamminen, Technical Expert for Forum Virium Helsinki’s ERKKI project, spoke at the Open Forum event and presented projects aimed at reducing energy consumption in buildings. There are three key lessons in reducing emissions from properties: utilising existing systems, smart consumption, and responsible investments.

“In Forum Virium’s projects, companies can test their climate change mitigation solutions in a real environment,” Tamminen said.

Cities play a key role in adapting to and preparing for climate change because they are agile actors with significant power to influence. Adaptation and preparedness require local measures, as the risks of climate change materialise specifically in cities. Furthermore, experimental activities, supporting business innovations, and technological development are crucial methods for mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Satellite Data to Aid Climate Change Mitigation

Satellite data is increasingly being utilised in the fight against climate change. For example, KOKO Forest Oy, which piloted its innovative solution with Forum Virium Helsinki, has used satellite-based technologies to monitor the health of urban forests and identify bark beetle damage. Remote sensing can also be used to predict the condition and growth of street trees.

At the Open Forum event, Forum Virium Helsinki’s innovative climate projects were also presented by Project Managers Heli Ponto from the Regions4Climate project, Mikko Laak from the GreenInCities project, and Meri Vainio from the PCP Wise project.