Climate emissions in Tampere
Tampere's greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 totalled 656.3 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) is a quantity where the warming effect of different greenhouse gases is converted into the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide.
According to the CO2 calculation provided by Sitowise Ltd, the greenhouse gas emissions in Tampere decreased by 22% from 2022 to 2023, reaching 843.8 kilotonnes CO2e in 2022.
The main sources of emissions are the heating of buildings and road transport.
Compared to 1990, Tampere's total emissions have decreased by 50% and per capita emissions by 66%. Emissions in 1990 have been estimated using the same methods as in the CO2 report.
Climate emissions per capita
Climate emissions per capita in Tampere in 2023 were 2.1 tonnes CO2e, excluding the industrial contribution. The comparable emissions per capita in 2023 were 2.1 tonnes CO2e.
When industrial emissions are included, total emissions decreased by 15% and per capita emissions by 11% between 2022 and 2023.
The calculation includes electricity consumption by consumers and industry, electric heating, district heating, geothermal heating, district heating, separate heating, industry and non-road machinery, road transport, agriculture and waste management.
Greenhouse gas emissions in Tampere have been measured by the CO2 report since 2010. The CO2 report is a Finland-wide municipal emissions calculation and reporting service produced by Sitowise Oy. Around 90 municipalities subscribe to the service.
As a rule, the CO2 report covers climate emissions generated in the geographical area of the city and climate emissions from heat and electricity production consumed in Tampere. Internationally, these are called Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. This means that many emissions indirectly caused by the activities of communities and municipalities (Scope 3) are excluded from the calculation.
Emissions from consumption in Tampere
In 2022, the greenhouse gas emissions caused by consumption in Tampere totalled 8.83 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (t CO2e) per inhabitant. The total consumption emissions were about 2.16 million tonnes CO2e.
The carbon footprint based on Tampere residents’ consumption has been evaluated twice: in 2020 and 2022. The calculations were made in the Kulma project, which involved a total of 20 municipalities and cities in 2022. According to the new and revised calculations, emissions caused by consumption in 2020 were 7.37 tonnes CO2e.
The calculations took into consideration emissions from the consumption of energy and construction, mobility, food and goods and services. The most significant sources of emissions caused by consumption in Tampere include food (23%), energy consumption (22%) and goods and services (23%). The calculations take into account emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
The results of the calculations provide a clear picture of emissions resulting from consumption, a factor typically not accounted for in standard municipal emissions calculations. When viewing emissions from the standpoint of consumption, they are twice as high as region-based climate emissions. Emissions from consumption consist of household consumption, public procurement and investments. You can learn more about the carbon footprint based on consumption in Tampere in the report compiled by the Kulma project. The 2022 calculations will be updated with information on emissions caused by public transport and city procurements.
The Kulma model, developed for the purpose of calculations, produces new kinds of information on emissions caused by residents’ activities, including emissions from construction materials used in the municipality and foodstuffs consumed in the municipality. The 2022 calculations have provided new information on emissions from free-time residences and construction, among other things. The new calculation model is based on the consumption levels of municipal residents and the resulting emissions, regardless of whether the goods have been produced in the municipality, elsewhere in Finland or abroad.
The project was implemented by Sitowise Oy together with the Natural Resources Institute Finland. The project was funded by the participating municipalities and the Sustainable Lahti Foundation. The calculation of emissions from food consumption was made possible by cooperation with the S Group.
Emissions from construction in Tampere
In 2020, the total emissions from construction in Tampere were approximately 206 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (kt CO2e). About half of the emissions resulted from the consumption of concrete. Construction causes a significant share of emissions in Tampere.
The emission sources are divided into construction materials, transportation, waste treatment, site operations and infrastructure construction. Construction materials account for the majority of construction emissions, 122 kt CO2e, of which concrete consumption accounts for 104 kt CO2e. The results do not include energy expenditure when the buildings are in use.
An experimental study was carried out in cooperation with EcoFellows Ltd and Gaia Consulting as part of the Urb-En Pact project.
Tampere Emissions Scenarios service
Tampere Emissions Scenarios is a service that can be used to forecast Tampere’s greenhouse gas emissions. In the service, you can select combinations of different measures and create scenarios from them.
The Tampere Emissions Scenarios service is divided into two parts: emissions and actions.
In the Emissions section, you can visually examine where emissions from the city come from and how they are expected to change by 2030. There is a scenario based on basic development, a scenario in line with the Climate Neutral Tampere 2030 Roadmap and a scenario that you can edit yourself. You can modify the time period you wish to see.
In the Actions section, you can view various actions that affect emissions. You can create your own scenarios by selecting whether to perform different actions or not. Your choices also affect the visualisations and figures in the Emissions section.
The emissions forecasts are based on actual emissions and certain baseline values, such as different emission factors.
The service was developed by Kausal Oy together with the City of Tampere’s Climate and Environmental Policy Unit and the Sustainable Tampere 2030 programme. The service is part of Tampere’s Climate and Environment Guard. The service is provided as open source code.