How Vilnius businesses are lowering carbon footprint to uphold environmental protection goals
Published by Poppy Clements,
Assistant Editor
Global Hydrogen Review,
Cities are major polluters, generating around 75% of global CO2 emissions. 2023 was already the hottest year recorded to date, and in the face of a rapidly warming planet, large-scale efforts to reduce emissions are all the more pressing.
As the European Green Capital for 2025 and the first city in the Baltic states to join the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Green Cities programme, Vilnius is prioritising its goal to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. The city’s cleantech ecosystem is also on a fast track to fighting the climate crisis with 10 new cleantech startups emerging in recent years.
Vilnius focuses on upgrading its transport and energy sectors to reduce its carbon footprint: hydrogen-powered buses will be soon injected into the traffic and will replace the diesel ones. The rapid modernisation of the city’s public transport is also supported by Taiwan which will fund the acquisition of 91 new trolleybuses.
In 2022, the capital had the largest car-sharing ecosystem among the European capitals, with 24 000 vehicles per 1 million residents. The city’s highly functioning car-sharing system has not only reduced the number of vehicles on the road and decreased the carbon footprint, but has also adapted to the demand for clean energy. Spark, a car-sharing platform, offers eco-conscious mobility solutions through electric vehicles.
Landfills release high levels of methane and CO2 into the atmosphere, contributing to greenhouse gases worldwide. At a city level, Vilnius has created an initiative 'Dek’ui' ('Thank You') stations that allow people to leave their unwanted but good quality items like clothing, furniture, books, household items, etc. for others to take for free. The initiative significantly reduces waste and encourages sustainable reuse.
Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/13022024/how-vilnius-businesses-are-lowering-carbon-footprint-to-uphold-environmental-protection-goals/
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