Cities play a crucial role in achieving net zero status, and new research from KTH Royal Institute of Technology suggests that the most effective cities will actively incorporate nature into their core infrastructure.

This involves incorporating green solutions, such as parks and roof gardens, as the researchers believe that these can both capture emissions and also reduce them.

Reaching net zero

The researchers explored the net zero strategies of over 50 cities across the EU. They found that when natural carbon sequestration is combined with various other climate actions, the cities are more likely to reduce their carbon emissions and reach net zero.

The researchers were particularly keen to explore the way that so-called “nature-based solutions” can help cities achieve sustainable carbon neutrality.

“Nature-based solutions not only offset a proportion of a city’s emissions, but can contribute to reduction in emissions and resource consumption too,” they explain.

Nature-based solutions

The researchers integrated data from a number of previous studies, each of which examined the impact nature-based solutions had on carbon neutrality. These solutions cover things like more permeable pavements, urban farming, the addition of more greenery to roads, and providing a safer environment for walking and cycling.

These solutions can often work well together, such as when the creation of urban parks and the addition of more green spaces helps to encourage people to walk and cycle rather than drive. What’s more, these environments help to sequest carbon and absorb heat, which can help to reduce the energy costs of buildings.

Suffice it to say, in a world of finite resources, it’s inevitable that priorities will have to be focused on and trade-offs made. These vary city by city, with the authors highlighting that in Berlin, for instance, planners should focus on urban green spaces and green buildings, which can provide the biggest bang for their buck.

“There are many studies that examine the effects of individual nature-based solutions, but this merges all of them and analyzes the potential systemic effect,” the authors conclude. “That’s new.”