Paris is one of the cities leading the world in the transition to a sustainable economy. In recent years it has ramped up efforts to cut energy use and transport emissions, all while providing a better quality of life for its citizens. Yann Françoise, Head of Climate, Energy and Circular Economy at the city’s Directorate of Parks and Environment talks about the city's vision for a sustainable future.
The Paris of 2030 will be very different to the city we see today, says Françoise. In recent years, Paris' fight to improve air quality has made headlines around the world. By focusing on clean mobility, the city hopes to tackle pollution once and for all. “We will have fewer cars in our city, and more sustainable mobility: for pedestrians, for bicycles, for new ways to move with new systems”, Françoise explains.
That’s building off the considerable progress the city administration has already made: transport emissions have fallen by 40% in recent years, even without a rapid uptake in zero-emissions technology.
Paris has focused on sustainability projects that can directly improve quality of life for its citizens. Shifting to low-emissions transportation will leave the city a more peaceful place, says Françoise. Meanwhile creating more green spaces will help tackle the urban heat island effect, which is only expected to worsen over the coming decades.
Warm homes and low-carbon meals.
Another big win-win opportunity is in energy efficiency. The city has embarked on a project of retrofitting its entire building stock, including homes for thousands of people. “It’s not only an environmental project, it’s a project for society — a new vision for the city of Paris” that has social justice at its heart.
This sustainable vision extends into all areas of the city’s operations, including the canteens it operates, like those in the school system. It has ambitious plans to cut emissions from food by 30% and encourage organic agriculture as part of its bid to improve quality of life.
“I think that we might be the only city disclosing to CDP to take into account CO2 emissions from food”, Françoise says. “Because we make 30 million meals every year, it’s very important for public procurement.”
The city is already halfway to meeting that target, thanks to the introduction of more vegetarian options and a decrease in the amount of beef it serves.
The power of data
For the city administration, collecting reliable data is crucial to meeting its sustainability goals. “Before you can have disclosure or communication, you need the data”, Françoise says.
Collecting this data helps Paris to assess which projects have been working well, and how it can improve. “It can be fruitful for the administration’s different services to recognise where they have made progress.” And the city’s decision-makers find it important in understanding where change needs to happen.
Green finance innovator
These large-scale sustainability projects come with a hefty price tag, however. It’s one of the reasons why Paris has led the way in raising capital through green bonds, which are used to fund projects tackling environmental issues or climate change.
The process helped the city raise €300 million to spend on green innovation. This was made easier by the administration’s data-driven approach. “If you follow the green bond principle, you have
to first be transparent and serious, with a lot of metrics and indicators”, says Françoise.
“And every year we have to show our investors how we are investing the money”. “It’s a very good opportunity”, he says. And it’s attracting ever more interest from the financial markets. Paris’ most recent green bond received €1.5 billion in demand less than 30 minutes after it was issued. “There is a lot of green money on the market. You have more and more pension funds, asset managers that need to decarbonise their funds”.
This shows that city sustainability projects, when backed with reliable data, have proven highly popular.
Democratising sustainability
As well as driving innovation, Paris is pioneering a holistic approach to sustainability that encompasses human wellbeing as well as greenhouse gas emissions. But there’s always more work to do, Françoise stresses. “Never forget that there are still people we have to bring onboard” in the city’s quest for a sustainable future.
The city government regularly consults with citizens on the city’s environmental plans — keeping them informed about its progress. That’s important not only to fulfil its democratic duties, but also to encourage people to change their own behaviour.
The city is currently running a mobilization campaign to present its climate action plan to people across the city — and “to convince them of the easy wins they can do” to cut their own emissions.
Paris has shown how cities can find opportunities to improve their citizens’ quality of life as they tackle climate change. “We do it because we believe in carbon neutrality. We have to do it. And we try to prove that it can have very positive benefits and progress for the city, from health to economic activity”.