A climate plan consists of two parts: climate change mitigation (CO2 reduction) and adaptation. One of the activities of the LIFE UrbanStorm project was the development of the adaptation part of the climate plan for Tallinn.
The Estonian Environmental Research Center won the Tallinn Energy Agency’s public procurement for the creation of the Tallinn Climate Plan, which in cooperation with the Baltic Environmental Forum (Laura Remmelgas, Sandra Oisalu, Jolanda Lipu, Merle Kuris, Mari Jüssi), and the Estonian University of Life Sciences (Valdo Kuusemets, Miguel Villoslada Peciña, Gen Mandre, Virginie Laroche) and the University of Tartu, prepared the action plan in 2018-2020.
On 03.06.21, the Tallinn City Council adopted the climate plan “Climate-neutral Tallinn. Tallinn’s Sustainable Energy Economy and Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2030 “.
The climate-neutral Tallinn plan sets the goal of developing a model of community-based renewable energy cooperatives, promoting bicycle traffic, improving the accessibility of public transport and supporting the complete reconstruction of apartment buildings, taking into account energy efficiency requirements.
In close cooperation with the private sector, it is planned to expand the district heating network, develop the district cooling network and apply the principles of the circular economy in energy production. A climate smart city supports biodiversity and uses natural resources circularly with minimal losses. These activities make the urban environment more pleasant and cleaner.
Taking into account all areas, the document specifies the fulfillment of the sub-objective of the current long-term development strategy’s “Tallinn 2035” green pivot. Changes in the energy economy, transport and buildings are set to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 2007, and climate neutrality is set to be achieved by 2050.
Adaptation to climate change also has an important role to play: the use of nature-based solutions in urban planning, the improvement of the ability to respond to weather-related risks and comprehensive communication provide the fertile ground for tackling unavoidable climate change in the urban environment.