Policies related to the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change will be implemented through the Carbon-neutral Helsinki Action Plan, which is currently being updated, the Climate change adaptation policies (pdf, in Finnish) and also the Rainwater management programme (pdf, in Finnish).
Ambitious climate objectives is one of the four strategic cross-sectoral programmes of the Helsinki City Strategy implementation decision (4 April 2022) made by the Helsinki City Council. The programme will ensure that sufficient, ambitious and focussed measures in line with the strategy will be implemented in order to achieve the climate goals.
Goal: We bring forward Helsinki’s carbon neutrality goal to 2030
The Helsinki City Strategy sets a goal for carbon neutrality by 2030. The goal is to reduce Helsinki’s carbon dioxide emissions to the level of 702,000 CO2-eq by 2030. In 2020, Helsinki’s total CO2 emissions were at the level of 2,360,000 CO2-eq.
Total carbon dioxide emissions have decreased significantly compared to the 1990 baseline, but the achievement of the carbon neutrality goal will require greater emission reductions over the next ten years than have been the case over the last thirty years.
The emission development by sector.
Goal: All Helsinki residents continue to have a short trip to local nature
During the strategy period, it will be ensured that all Helsinki residents will continue to have a short trip to local nature. In accordance with the nature conservation programme (2015–2024), the most valuable areas of Helsinki will be protected and a new nature conservation programme for 2025–2034 will be prepared during the strategic period.
The aim is to establish at least five new nature conservation areas per year during the strategy period. The preparation of the proposals for the establishment of nature conservation areas is on schedule and at least five proposals for the establishment of nature conservation areas are expected to go through in 2022.
An indicator for the monitoring of the accessibility of local nature is currently being prepared.