6 Ways Copenhagen Plans to Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2025

Earlier this year while touring the United States, Copenhagen's Lord Mayor Frank Jensen announced the city's intention to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/copenhagen-is-on-track-to-achieve-carbon-neutrality-by-2025/">achieve carbon neutrality by 2025</a>. While <a href="http://idlenomore.ca/">Idle No More</a>, <a href="http://350.org">350.org</a> and a fleet of other organizations beg government officials in the United States to transition away from the fossil fuel industry by canceling such ruinous schemes as the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/tar-sands/">Keystone XL Pipeline</a>, Copenhagen quietly reduced its carbon emissions by 40 percent between 1995 and 2012. And by 2025, the capital of Denmark intends to be entirely free of fossil fuels. Sound like a pipe dream? For Copenhagen, probably not. Hit the jump for a look at six strategies the city will employ to achieve their lofty goal; they aren't nearly as complicated as one might think.

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-grundvig/can-copenhagen-become-the_b_2523272.html?utm_hp_ref=green">In an interview with Huffington Post</a>, Mayor Jensen briefly outlined his vision for achieving carbon neutrality in Copenhagen by 2025. Not surprisingly, adding even more renewable energy to the city's current portfolio was first on his list. In addition to installing more wind turbines, Copenhagen intends to pour money into solar cells and convert existing fossil-fueled power plants into facilities that <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/biomass-power/">generate energy from biomass</a>.

Although it seems more residents cycle in Copenhagen than any other city on earth, despite the northern latitude, Mayor Jensen told HP that they want to encourage even more cycling. To this end, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/denmark-constructs-bicycle-superhighways-for-copenhagens-commuters/">superhighways are being constructed</a> for ease of mobility and to mitigate crowded bicycle lanes. He told the paper that sustainability starts with cities and that a greener city results in greater quality of life.

For those residents of the city who aren't in love with cycling in subzero temperatures, or who travel greater distances to get to their jobs each day, there are always buses. To ensure the best possible mobility with the smallest possible environmental impact, Mayor Jensen intends to improve the city's fleet by investing in <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/london-hybrid-bus/">hybrid buses</a> that will consume less fuel.

Many of Copenhagen's historic buildings are hundreds of years old, so they lack the kind of materials that we now have to prevent thermal loss, plug leaky windows, and in general achieve <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/energy-efficient-design/">optimum energy efficiency</a> - either in homes or commercial buildings. Aware of this, the city has embarked on a plan to retrofit existing buildings as best as they can in order to slash their overall load.

One great thing about building anew, if the land exists and all of the necessary environmental impact assessments have been satisfactorily completed, is that public and private investors have more control over each new project's <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/environmental-impact-assessment/">environmental impact</a>. Instead of undergoing the expensive job of kitting out old buildings, it's possible to incorporate that new technology into the design right from the beginning - something that Copenhagen has set out to do.

While he acknowledges <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/climate-change/">climate change</a> and the importance of preparing for the day that weather events will become even more destructive and unpredictable than they already are, Mayor Jensen also has to think about creating jobs for his populace. And he is convinced that <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/green-jobs/">growing a green economy</a> is the most constructive angle. "I believe that we should keep an eye on the return on investments," he told Huff Po. "Not just in terms of a better climate, environment and improvement in the health of Copenhagen's citizens, but also in terms of hard cash."