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Vaxjo, Sweden: A pioneering ‘clean’ city
Karl Ritter, Associated Press
VAXJO, SWEDEN — When this quiet city in southern Sweden decided in 1996 to wean itself off fossil fuels, most people doubted the ambitious goal would have any effect beyond the town limits.
A few melting glaciers later, Vaxjo is attracting a green pilgrimage of politicians, scientists and business leaders from as far afield as the U.S. and North Korea seeking inspiration from a city program that has enabled it to cut carbon dioxide emissions 30% since 1993.
Vaxjo (pronounced VECK-shur), a city of 78,000 on the shores of Lake Helga, surrounded by thick pine forest in the heart of Smaland province, is a pioneer in a growing movement in dozens of European cities, large and small, that aren’t waiting for national or international measures to curb global warming.
Initiatives taken at the local level — including London’s congestion charge, Paris’ city bike program and the solar power campaign in Barcelona, Spain — are being introduced across the continent, often influencing national policies instead of the other way around.
(22 October 2007)
Tehran air clears with anti-pollution efforts
Ramin Mostaghim and Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times
Fuel-rationing, traffic controls and a switch to cleaner engines help residents breath easier in the smoggy Iranian capital.
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TEHRAN — The inhabitants of this metropolis of 12 million people, and perhaps as many cars, buses, trucks and motorbikes, have seen something new in recent months: the city itself, unobscured by the thick smog that normally blankets the capital.
For years, pollution in Tehran seemed to only grow worse, the stench of exhaust more dizzying, the number of patients rushed to hospitals with breathing difficulties ever increasing.
But a number of measures, including rationing gasoline and limiting traffic in the city center, have noticeably changed this bleak landscape and given back to Tehran residents the stunning vistas of the Alborz mountain range that surrounds the city.
“It feels much better than before,” said Marzieh Jannati, 27, shopping in south Tehran, an experience that used to burn the eyes of those unaccustomed to the pollution. “You can see the difference between these days and years past.”
…But all agree there has been a turnaround in recent months.
A rationing program for heavily subsidized gasoline that began this summer sparked riots, but may have forced thrifty drivers to stay off the roads.
Strict controls and heavy fines placed on peak-hour traffic to central Tehran encouraged more commuters to use public transport, including a three-line subway system that has won praise for its efficiency.
Tehran introduced a fleet of natural gas-powered buses, ordered old taxis and buses to convert to natural gas engines, and banned decrepit cars.
(22 October 2007)
Stunning photo at original article.
EGYPT: An Environmental Make-Over for an Ancient Industry
Leslie-Ann Boctor, Inter Press
CAIRO, Oct 19 (IPS/IFEJ) – Air pollution is so bad in Cairo that living in the sprawling city of 18 million residents is said to be akin to smoking 20 cigarettes a day. According to the World Health Organisation, the average Cairene ingests more than 20 times the acceptable level of air pollution a day.
A 2002 World Bank report estimates that pollution causes 2.42 billion dollars worth of environmental damage each year, about five percent of Egypt’s annual gross domestic product.
Industry is to blame, in part, the worst offenders being factories that burn mazot for power. Mazot is the heavy oil left over after more valuable fuel products have been extracted from crude oil; when burnt, it emits substantial amounts of the greenhouse gases said to cause global warming.
The Ministry of the Environment continues to promise new measures to hold industry culprits accountable for air pollution, but has failed to put teeth into enforcement.
There are, however, signs of hope elsewhere.
An enterprising group of Canadian businessmen and Egyptian mud brick factory owners is quietly overhauling the mud brick industry, one of the biggest users of mazot, through switching from the heavy oil to natural gas.
These factories are usually clustered together for distribution purposes, leading to a concentration of emissions — with severe effects on the environment, and the health of surrounding communities.
By changing to natural gas the entrepreneurs are dramatically reducing pollution and the carbon emissions of the factories, at a profit.
(This story is part of a series of features on sustainable development by IPS — Inter Press Service — and IFEJ, the International Federation of Environmental Journalists.)
(19 October 2007)
Bradford: the greenest city (Video)
Martin Wainwright / Shehani Fernando, Guardian
Bradford has been named as Britain’s greenest city in a new sustainable cities league table. Councillor Anne Hawkesworth explains how the former industrial city is making the most positive environmental impact in the country
(20 October 2007)
Related video from the Guardian: Greenest and pleasantest: The Green city awards
A new survey of the most sustainable cities in Britain ranks the 20 largest cities according to social, economic and environmental performance. The index, compiled by Forum for the Future, shows Brighton and Hove to be the most sustainable and Bradford to be the greenest.
Some cities try going ‘green’ with blackouts
Ben Arnoldy, The Christian Science Monitor
On Saturday evening, it’s “Lights out San Francisco,” where people will voluntary turn off lights for an hour. The aim is to raise awareness of light pollution and the energy wasted by lights left on.
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San Francisco – It’s lights out come 8 p.m. Saturday for the TransAmerica pyramid, the Golden Gate Bridge, and businesses and dwellings across San Francisco.
Citizens plan to shut off nonessential lighting for an hour in the name of conservation – and community. Restaurants will serve dinner by candlelight, astronomy buffs will be out with their scopes, and musicians will rock out on power from a biodiesel bus.
If participants are expecting a total blackout or a quick fix for global warming, they might have to settle instead for a free energy-efficient light bulb and an event T-shirt that reads: “Good things happen in the dark.”
“Our expectations in terms of actual energy savings are not as high as our expectation in terms of just communicating how easy it is to do something very simple,” says Nathan Tyler, who’s bringing the idea to San Francisco and Los Angeles – and eventually nationwide.
For anyone who has wondered about the wastefulness of the bright lights in big cities, it turns out that some simple fixes do work. US skylines, particularly in California, have become “greener” in recent years with the help of new technologies, tighter regulations, and simple changes in behavior.
“If you look at the San Francisco skyline at night, it’s a whole lot darker than it used to
(19 October 2007)
