Amsterdam is the capital and most populated city of the Netherlands. It has a population of almost 930.00 within the, 1,457,018 in the urban area and 2,480,394 in the metropolitan area. Located in the province of North Holland, Amsterdam is referred to as the “Venice of the North”, for its large number of canals, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The College of Mayor and Aldermen wants to make sure they are making optimal use of the coming years so that we can achieve the City’s targets in time. They have collated current and new plans for creating an energy-efficient, healthy, green and resilient city in an action plan entitled ‘Our City of Tomorrow’. They see it as their duty to ensure that today’s Amsterdammers and future generations can live in a sustainable and liveable city, protectiong the city and its residents from the inevitable consequences of the climate crisis.
A necessary acceleration
Much is already happening to prepare Amsterdam and Amsterdammers for climate change and to make the city more sustainable. Yet despite all our efforts, unfortunately not on track. Climate change is happening more quickly than expected, and so acceleration is needed to make achieve the targets.
To mitigate the effects of climate change, everyone needs to be proactive and needs to work together: the City, Amsterdammers, housing corporations, schools, businesses and national government.
The transition to a sustainable city
To achieve an energy-efficient, healthy, green and resilient city there are operating 3 ‘transition routes’:
- 1.The energy transition: moving towards sustainable energy
- 2.The green transition: towards a green, healthy city
- 3.The circular transition: towards a circular economy
The City’s climate goals:
- 2030
- All traffic within the A10 ring road is emission free
- Operations of the municipal organisation are entirely sustainable
- 80% of the energy used by households comes from solar and wind energy
- Use of raw materials is reduced by 50%
- CO2 emissions are reduced by 60% compared to 1990
- 2040
- Natural gas is completely phased out
- All suitable roofs are being utilised for generating solar energy
- 2050
- The city is fully prepared for climate change (it is ‘climate adaptive’)
- The city is fully climate neutral, with no CO2 emissions
- Circular economy principles are fully implemented
VR workshop at Climate Event
The Climate Event of the City of Amsterdam took place in Pakhuis de Zwijger. Hundreds of employees were informed and inspired, to give the inhabitants of our beautiful capital a fair and sustainable future.
By our VR Workshop EARTH FROM SPACE by Circular Leadership, the participants not only saw, but especially felt how beautiful and unique our planet is, and at the same time how unimaginably vulnerable. This Planetary Awareness lies at the basis of thinking and acting from the deep awareness that we must take good care of the Earth because it is our only home in the universe. After the VR experience, we discussed the three main areas of life on Earth: the Biosphere, the Atmosphere and the Oceans. What has happened in the last 50 years, where are we now, and what will our world look like in 2050 and 2100? Finally, we discussed how the necessary systemic change can be accelerated through Social Tipping Points and the Inner Development Goals (IDGs).
For many participants a wake-up call: we have crossed some planetary boundaries and we will have to do everything we can to keep the Earth livable for all its inhabitants.
