Hello Helena, tell us about Business Finland’s “Decarbonized Cities program.”

Business Finland, the Finnish government organization for innovation funding and trade, travel, and investment promotion, has selected five thematic focus areas, all including various elements of sustainability. One of the themes concentrates on creating a zero carbon future with the aim to significantly increase Finland's carbon handprint in the world.

Decarbonizing cities is key, as urban development has a significant impact on the population and well-being of the entire planet. Soon, more than 2/3 of people will live in cities and 3/4 of the planet's emissions will be generated in cities. Business Finland’s Decarbonized Cities program accelerates significant CO2 cuts in the selected partner cities with ambitious decarbonization targets, such as Los Angeles.  The vision of the Decarbonized Cities program for 2023–2028 is that by 2030, globally 10 cities have significantly cut their CO2 emissions.

What trends and challenges do you see in decarbonizing cities related to especially energy use and transportation?

An integrated, holistic approach is needed. Finnish players are actively developing and providing state of the art solutions for many areas of global interest including energy production and use, city planning, as well as transport and mobility. Digitalization and sector coupling are key cross-cutting enablers and expertise to achieve net zero.

Which cities have effectively decarbonized, and what lessons can be learned from their experiences?

In 2021, the EU Commission launched the Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030.  We are proud to say that out of these 100, no less than 6 are in Finland. A sustainable future calls for action, not just talk. A remarkable example of this is the city of Lahti, the European Green Capital 2021. Lahti aims at carbon neutrality by 2025. The city has already phased out coal, managed to increase household waste recovery up to 99% and acquired unique environmental expertise in protecting the nature of the Finnish Lake District, while ensuring that everyday life in the city runs smoothly.

How much responsibility lies with the individual versus the society to reduce emissions?

This brings us to the theme of "behavioral change". To be successful, decarbonizing cities and creating the smart cities of the future requires not only legislative and regulatory changes, but also the engagement of the residents. The implementation of a zero carbon future requires changing everyday habits, but it must not make life too difficult. This applies particularly in decarbonizing transport and mobility: it requires new service concepts that meet the diverse and personal needs of residents. The best outcome is achieved when the residents actively participate in sustainable urban development together with authorities, research institutions and private companies.

Lastly, you are a speaker at Bifrost, can give us a hint about what you will be speaking about?

I want to focus on collaboration. The current problems of pollution, biodiversity loss and global warming are so wicked that no city nor country can solve them alone. We need collaboration throughout the entire value chain, from research and development to deployment. More intense collaboration needs to take place between different sectors. For example, how could the lessons learned in the gaming industry be applied to mobility?

We Finns are pragmatic and known for our solution-oriented approach. We walk the talk. Finland is a capable, agile, and reliable partner in solving the carbon neutrality challenges of cities. We have many pioneering cities in Finland that have been eager to test new digital applications and technologies, and whose way of engaging residents is a good example that can be applied elsewhere. I firmly believe that together with local market players we can develop cross-functional solutions and practices to help cities achieve their own ambitious sustainability goals in time. The aim is for cities to continue to be attractive places to live in the future, offering their residents security, job opportunities and a good, smooth everyday life.