Carbon neutral Helsinki-Uusimaa region

Finland’s Helsinki-Uusimaa Region aims to be carbon neutral in 2050 . The region, located on Finland’s south coast is home to 1.6 million people - more than a quarter of the country’s population.

The regional government of Helsinki-Uusimaa is currently developing its plan to ensure it achieves its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. It wants to ensure it has a clear roadmap to achieve its goals through implementing various measures to reduce emissions.

A cornerstone of the plan is to increase the availability of renewable energy sources for the region’s residents and businesses. Currently the 36% of Helsinki-Uusimaa regions energy is powered by renewables. However, Finland imports all its fossil fuels so a major transformation of the country’s energy system, vehicle fleet and service infrastructure will be required to achieve the carbon neutral goal. To achieve this, the Helsinki-Uusimaa region plans to scope out the possibility of increasing the use of solar energy as well as capitalizing on the promising local opportunities for developing wind and bioenergy power sources.

Increasing energy efficiency is also one of Helsinki-Uusimaa’s top priorities in achieving its carbon neutral goal. The region aims to do this through changing the way buildings, transport and infrastructure are planned, run and maintained. The regional government also sees integrating communities into future land-use planning is an essential part of the mix in maximising energy efficiency.

This means ensuring that the location of housing, services and jobs are carefully thought through to minimise environmental impact both in the construction and use phases. The government also plans to consider carbon sinks in land use planning and keep track of emissions throughout the process.

Helsinki-Uusima region’s plans for the environment are broadly in line with the national government’s objectives, however, as the country’s most populous region, it will play a key role in leading the way on climate action.