After spending a couple of days in Finland, I found it difficult to leave, as it was truly the most beautiful place I have ever visited. However, I was excited to head back to an urban environment, and one that is notorious for its sustainability.
When I landed in Copenhagen, I immediately noticed one major distinction. While the language differed, and the local food varied, the change in transportation was my biggest observation. Unlike other urban settings, Copenhagen is not designed for cars or even pedestrians. The city was remodeled for one singular mode of transportation that 99% of the population in Denmark above the age of 10 can operate: bicycles. I had never seen so many bikes in my life. They are lined up all along the sidewalk. The city installed additional parking spots, bridges, and lanes all specifically for bicycles.
This act to improve accessibility by bicycle changed the entire transportation system for the city. In 2017, Copenhagen became The Most Bike-Friendly City, surpassing Amsterdam. While bikes are certainly a fun way to travel from one place to another, it definitely takes an adjustment, but this was a challenge that Copenhagen was not afraid to face.
These transitions in transportation were not taken on an individual level, but rather social, political, and economic platforms. The city began by investing in new infrastructure to make commuting via bicycle more convenient. The government then chose to enact a hefty tax of 150% on the purchase of any new car. Lastly, citizens began learning to bike, and it wasn’t just those who could not afford to own a car. The Danish of all socio-economic statuses began to accept this change and started to commute via bicycle.
While this mode of transportation is rather simple, it creates an important symbol of equality among the Danish. Unlike Stockholm, the cost of living in Copenhagen is higher, meaning the economic disparity is larger. However, having individuals from a variety of diverse backgrounds, all choosing the same mode of transportation creates a sense of equity.
Similar to how the Sámi people raise their children in a society that empowers women, Danish kids learn about equity through Copenhagen’s transportation system. They do not witness the differences in income when everyone chooses the same method of travel. It is an important side effect that occurred when Copenhagen invested in a more sustainable method of transportation.
We spent an entire day on a bike tour of Copenhagen and learning about their new sustainability initiatives. I appreciated seeing the city through this perspective. It was certainly an adjustment getting back on a bike, but it allowed me to understand how accessible the city is via bicycle. We had an incredible tour guide who showed us the city’s transformation from their trash incinerator which emits 99% water vapor, to biking through Kongens Nytorv Market, and learning about the resurgence of upcycling.
Kongens Nytorv Market is a space where anyone can go to sell anything from clothing to china; it’s a unique space that helps to create circular economies. Rather than having used products such as clothing go into landfills, they are given a new life through entering a second-hand market. This becomes especially important for textiles, as fast fashion has pushed the clothing industry to produce the most waste, relative to other industries.
I also gained new insights into the Danish’s dedication to the environment, specifically air. I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon learning about how Copenhagen works to maintain its impeccable air quality and focused on this resource through a scientific perspective.
There are two different approaches to helping the environment; you can first mitigate carbon emissions. By mitigating, you reduce the waste that is produced. For example, rather than flying you could drive. While this still emits carbon, it is less than the alternative of taking a flight. However, a major focus is now on offsetting, which looks to intake some of the carbon in the environment, slowing the progression of global warming.
Copenhagen is mitigating carbon emissions, through their transportation system, but they also work on offsetting carbon emissions, through green space. The city is full of parks, which are not only beautiful and provide a communal recreational spot, but they serve a very important environmental purpose relating to the air. Trees intake carbon and emit oxygen. They’re essentially able to erase some of the carbon that we’ve already emitted and filter the air. Some businesses are even offering an optional carbon fee, which goes towards planting trees to make up for the environmental impact of the product or service you are purchasing.
Our tour guide mentioned by standing in a green space you are inhaling air that is 5% cleaner than air on a city street. While this may not seem like much, having green spaces not only helps slow the progression of climate change, but it also plays an important role in public health. Copenhagen is full of green spaces, through its plethora of parks. They also take advantage of unconventional places, such as rooftops. All of these actions work towards Copenhagen’s goal of becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2025, meaning that the city will not emit more carbon than it can offset. It is certainly an admirable goal that the city is on track to achieve.
However, there is an interesting irony that I feel obligated to highlight. As I mentioned in my Finland blog, environmental injustice is the unequal distribution of environmental goods and bads. While climate change’s aggregate impact on the planet is undoubtedly negative, it has influenced Copenhagen in an unlikely way. Tourists are drawn to Copenhagen during the warmer months. Global warming is lengthening the time in which visitors spend in Copenhagen, supporting economic growth for the city. After visiting Finland and learning about the Sámi people’s economic hardships due to climate change, I witnessed a true environmental injustice. It is important to understand that one country can suffer and another can thrive from ultimately the same source: climate change. While scientists may work to predict how we can help one country and hurt another, I would like to draw your attention to one singular aspect.
It is truly incredible that while Copenhagen is benefiting from the effects of climate change, yet they are still working so hard to become carbon neutral. This brings up an important point, in that climate change affects each geographic area differently. We cannot control how we are impacted by global warming, whether positively like the Danish or negatively like the Sámi people in Finland. However, we each have the power to influence how we choose to respond.
When 97% of scientists agree that climate change is occurring it is not a matter of looking at the facts of what is happening, but more important as to how we interpret that information. Can we be like Copenhagen, a city admirable enough to be benefiting economically from the affects of climate change, and still seek to be carbon-neutral?
In supply chain, we refer to this as continuous improvement. It’s the idea that there is always room to make progress, and businesses often invest in systems to aid in this process. Copenhagen is a city that is thriving due to its continuous improvement model. The Danish understand that while Copenhagen itself is benefiting, the aggregate outcome of climate change is negatively affecting the globe, and it is the responsibility of everyone to work towards sustaining the environment for the future.
After nine flights in 10 days, I can officially say that I have memorized the Finnair music, the safety protocols, and most importantly discovered the underlying environmental impacts of flying. Flying has always been something that I’ve seen as a privilege. It’s a gift to be able to travel and see the world. I loved working for a company this past summer that aimed to harness the sheer power of flight. Being in Europe, it is incredibly convenient and more importantly, accessible to travel on airplanes. This allows people of many socio-economic statuses to view the world and gain the wisdom that it offers.
However, increased air travel poses a major environmental threat. It contributes approximately 2.5% to total carbon emissions and could rise to 22% by 2050. It is hard to decipher whether the overall benefit of travel surpasses the environmental impact of the trip. One thing to consider is offsetting a plane ride. Similar to how Copenhagen is utilizing green space to work towards creating a carbon-neutral city, many airlines are now offering customers the option of paying an additional fee to offset their travel, which is donated to an organization that will plant a calculated number of trees to make up for the carbon emitted on the flight. It’s a new concept, but shows innovation and drive to find a solution.
As I end Syracuse Abroad’s Sustainability Signature Seminar, I feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to travel throughout Scandinavia and learn about environmental justice in northern Europe. I have come to understand that the most sustainable countries truly comprehend what is occurring in our climate through our scientists. I am still unsure whether each community is driven through the fear of a loss of resources or sheer passion for the environment. However, I am certain they have chosen to take action. Whatever the motivator is, human action becomes the most important response to climate change. It is through the moments when we no longer question what is occurring on our planet, but rather what we as individuals can do to preserve it, that I have begun to understand human nature.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures throughout Scandinavia!