Where are the greenest cities in the world? There are a number of lists based on percentage of vegetation, sustainability, eco-friendliness etc. Probably all cities in the world would like to make to top 10 list, but it is matter of economic development, political will and citizen motivation. Once these factors are ensured, things get much easier. In next few posts we will present some of the cities that are on most of published green-city lists. We will start with Oslo, Norway.
Oslo is definitely one of the greenest cities in the world since 72.5% of the city covered with vegetation. Total of 1,000,000 trees grow in the city’s urban zone, being part of about 1,400 km of forest roads and 2,100 km of nature trails.
The city pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 95% by 2030. Did you know that Oslo is also a car-free city? Since 2019, private motor vehicles are not allowed in the city center, and the number of people traveling by public transport, bicycle and on foot is increasing. 700 parking spaces were removed and pedestrian zones, cycle paths and green spaces were created. For those who have to own a car, Oslo’s government made buying and owning electric vehicles very attractive and it is now estimated that about 60% of all new passenger cars sold in this city are electric. This fact made Oslo the “EV Capital of the World”.
Not just regarding traffic, Oslo has made great effort in collecting electronic equipment for the purpose of reusing and recycling. The result was that between 2016 and 2020 from all discarded laptops, 85% found a way back in use. Only 5% were recycled, and 95% were reused. Finally, the city uses a lot of renewable energy, such as hydro power, which amounts to around 60% of its total energy consumption.
