On these pages, you can find information on the objectives of the city of Oulu's climate work and practical measures taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon neutral Oulu in 2035 is set as an objective in the Oulu City Strategy. You can read more on the measures taken to achieve this aim and the progress on the city of Oulu's Environmental Programme page. More information on emission trends can be found on these climate pages. Oulu also has a Climate Roadmap (only in Finnish). It is a longer term background document, which includes identified actions for both mitigation and adaptation. It also includes greenhouse gas emission scenarios and looks at most relevant climate related risks.
Municipalities can best influence greenhouse gas emissions in their own region through measures related to transport systems, land use, their own energy consumption, procurement procedures, construction and education. Cooperation between sectors is particularly important in climate work. City residents are also among the key stakeholders in climate work, and their wishes and needs must be taken into account when planning and implementing climate measures.
The City of Oulu's goal of carbon neutrality by 2035 is ambitious. Many of the city's divisions and stakeholders have clear plans and measures in place, but they are not yet sufficient to achieve the carbon neutrality goal. Emissions have decreased in several sectors, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Emissions must be reduced in all sectors, and we cannot afford to rule out any measures, even small ones. In particular, bold and open-minded decisions and measures are needed to reduce transport emissions. City of Oulu also owns significant amount of forests. With the right kind of forest management, we can not only mitigate climate change via carbon sinks but also increase biodiversity.
Regardless of the success of mitigation measures, the climate has already changed and continues to change. Proactive rather than reactive adaptation measures lead to better adaptation and resilience, and it is also more cost-effective. Well-planned adaptation measures, especially nature-based solutions, can also improve biodiversity. For example, by adding urban nature, it is possible not only to grow carbon sinks, but also to prevent the heat island effect and solve challenges caused by increasing rainfall and flooding.
There is also a regional Climate Roadmap for Northern Ostrobothnia. The roadmap was initially prepared in 2021 and has been recently updated. The measures included in the roadmap cover bioeconomy and circular economy, energy, transport, agriculture, land use, forests and bogs, and cooperation. It also includes measures for climate change adaptation.