Turku is holding on to its ambitious climate goals. The signposts towards a carbon-neutral Turku by 2029 became clearer when the City Council approved the updated climate plan at its meeting on Monday 15 June.
The renewed climate plan has been prepared in broad cooperation with more than 200 experts, bringing the region’s companies, higher education institutions, the largest public sector operators, and civil society even more strongly into shared goals and climate action. Cities play a key role in both mitigating and adapting to climate change.
"In Turku and other cities, we implement solutions that reduce emissions, improve the environment and protect life from the impacts of climate change. Our measures are visible in people’s everyday lives, for example in transport, energy, construction and the local environment, and our climate work succeeds best when we commit to it together. This requires cooperation and effective, consistent action from cities, companies and the state alike," says Mayor Piia Elo.
Companies and Young People Accelerate Climate Action
The right of children and young people to a good future has been highlighted in Turku’s climate plan as the most important goal of climate work. Turku’s experiences show that companies and young people in particular play a key role in accelerating change.
At the same time, according to studies, young people’s confidence in the future is particularly overshadowed by concerns about the future related to climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainability challenges.
"Turku is creating the conditions for a sustainable everyday life and, in cooperation with the region’s higher education institutions and companies, aims to offer young people opportunities for study and careers in climate-resilient solutions. There are good conditions for this, as the region’s most significant companies are pursuing carbon neutrality in cooperation with the City, and higher education institutions are participating in creating sustainable solutions and producing the necessary knowledge base and expertise," says Mayor Piia Elo.
Climate Work Creates a Sustainable Economy
Turku’s climate plan sets out measures for developing a sustainable energy system, mobility, construction and investments, as well as biodiversity, carbon sinks and adaptation to climate change. The plan also includes goals for reducing energy and transport poverty.
Turku’s climate work will also be linked more strongly to strengthening vitality.
"The strength of Turku’s climate work is that it is not viewed only as emission reductions, but also as a competitive factor that strengthens the vitality of the region. At its best, climate action supports companies’ competitiveness, creates new jobs and accelerates Turku’s sustainable growth. In the new climate plan, the link between climate and the economy is brought out more strongly than before," says Santtu Karhinen, Senior Research Scientist at the Finnish Environment Institute.
Turku Leads Emission Reductions in Finland
Turku continues its pursuit of carbon neutrality by 2029 from a strong position, as the city has achieved the emission reduction target it set for 2025, tightened in 2022, and reduced emissions in its area by 75 per cent compared with the 1990 level.
The emission reduction achieved is the largest among Finnish cities and is also among the leading results internationally. It is also notable that emissions in the Turku area are at the lowest level among Finnish cities when calculated per resident.
"The emission reduction is the result of long-term climate work based on targets set by the City Council. Turku’s first climate programme was approved by the City Council as early as 2009. The largest emission reductions have been achieved in energy production and consumption, but reductions in emissions from transport and most other sectors are also significant, says Risto Veivo," Climate Director at the City of Turku.
Carbon Neutrality Also Requires Action From the State
Despite the targets achieved and progress in climate work, Turku’s path to carbon neutrality by 2029 remains challenging. It requires rapid emission reductions in all sectors – especially in transport – as well as covering residual emissions with carbon sinks and other compensation measures.
Alongside strong measures by operators in the Turku area, achieving the target also requires consistent measures from the Finnish state in accordance with the Climate Act, as well as cooperation with Turku and the city region, particularly to reduce transport emissions.
"Turku shows how cities’ climate work accelerates the achievement of national climate targets. At the same time, the effectiveness of cities’ climate work will improve significantly if state steering measures support, for example, the low-carbon transition in transport. Accelerating the electrification of transport should be a priority in future tax decisions and subsidies. At the same time, this will improve security of supply and create new business opportunities related to electric mobility," says Jyri Seppälä, Research Professor at the Finnish Environment Institute and Chair of the Finnish Climate Panel.
Targets Set for Consumption Emissions
For the first time, the updated climate plan also sets monitorable targets for reducing consumption emissions as well as energy and transport poverty. Influencing consumption emissions highlights the comprehensive importance of resource-wise practices and places stronger focus on the climate impacts of construction, the food system, the procurement of goods and services, and travel.
"In Turku, good conditions have been created for living a sustainable everyday life and making climate-friendly choices. Often, we do not even notice them – for example, the City of Turku’s properties are energy-efficient and use renewable energy. It is important that people find climate-friendly choices meaningful and that they are natural and easy in everyday life, whether it is sustainable school food on the plate or a smooth everyday bus journey powered by electricity," explains Lotte Suveri, Senior Specialist at the City of Turku.
Preparing for Climate Change Increases Safety
Turku’s climate plan includes an analysis of climate risks, vulnerabilities and impacts, as well as adaptation measures as an equal part alongside mitigation measures. The most harmful climate change risks in our region are related to floods, drought, heat, soil risks and ecosystem changes.
Risks to residents’ lives and health will also increase as the likelihood of extreme weather events, such as prolonged heatwaves, grows. The aim of adaptation work is to strengthen Turku as a climate-resilient city where residents’ wellbeing, biodiversity and livelihoods are safeguarded in changing climate conditions and where the city is comprehensively prepared for sudden weather events.
"Adaptation work requires investments and also causes costs, but it protects the city, the region’s population and functions from significant risks and losses and strengthens crisis resilience. I see investing in it as responsible and necessary," emphasises Climate Director Veivo.
Measures Affect All Operations
Turku’s climate plan follows the European Union’s common model for cities’ climate work. All of the City’s service areas and group entities are responsible for implementing the plan. Implementation is linked to annual operational and financial planning, investment programmes and group steering, and impact is strengthened through group-level climate and sustainability steering of investments as well as green financing.
All higher education institutions in the region, key companies, and public sector and civil society actors participate in implementing the climate goals as Turku’s climate partners – and Turku also invites all residents and operators in the city to take part in climate action.
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