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A policy plan that would turn Sundbyberg into a climate neutral place to live in

Ayoub Hameedi

Aktuellt Hallbarhet magazine has recently published a ranking of environment friendly municipalities in Sweden. The municipalities of Nacka and Sigtuna secured 7th and 10th spots in the aforementioned list. On the contrary, Sundbyberg stood on 48th in the list. It must be applauded that Sundbyberg has performed twice as better in comparison to 2018 when it stood 100th on the same assessement. However, from a policy perspective this should only be considered as a beginning of a journey that would make Sundbyberg a climate neutral municipality and a role model for the rest of municipalities in Sweden. Some of the concrete actions that are realistic in implementation and achievable within a span of coming 5 years are as follows:

1.  Schools should be given top most priority when it comes to the implementation of sustainability. Schools are the institutions that shapes the future of any nation and country. If have not already, it is important that Schools in Sundbyberg should teach children about the concept of sustainable development and that we need to take care of mother nature. We need to consume only whats needed and leave the rest for coming generations. Schools should be like institution where each child would feel included and involved and that no kid would feel either isolated, left-out or have to face peer-pressure to do anything that would not make sense. Dropping out is one such example. Nacka municipality places a huge emphasize on the drop-outs between the age 16 – 18. As a result of the concrete actions executed by the municipal administration in Nacka, around 87% of the drop-outs went either back to school in 2018 or started job. This year, the municipal administration in Nacka plans to achieve 90%. Ensuring each child in school would help Municipal administration in dropping the existing poverty ratio and crime rate in Sundbyberg. If have not already, zero tolerance for bullying in schools should become a mandatory part of the education. It will make schools more attractive for the children and thus would help them in using the given abilities to the fullest of their potential. Zero tolerance for bullying should be repeated so often that it becomes a part of everyday life in schools in Sundbyberg. Education ensures a better professional job and a better position ensure financial security and an improved quality of life.

2.  The ability to generate clean electricity can either make or break the climate neutral plan for Sundbyberg. It is really important that the administration would pay serious attention to this issue. In my opinion, solar energy can generate a lion’s share of clean electricity in Sundbyberg. It is important to mention here that the price of a watt from silicon pv cells has decreased from USD 76 (1977) to 30 cents (2015). This sharp decrease in price makes solar pv an extremely price competitive option for clean power production. The municipal administration should pass a law that would require each housing company to install solar pv panels on the roof tops. The goal can be that by 2023, each roof in Sundbyberg would have solar pv panels that would produce clean electricity for the municipality. It must be appreciated that the installation of solar pv in Sundbyberg requires no permit. If have not already, Sundbyberg needs a solar energy map that would guide housing companies and residents regarding solar radiation potential of a particular place.

3. The municipal administration can also equip each roof top with  vertical axis wind turbines. The aforementioned turbines are pretty small in size when compared to a traditional horizontal axis wind turbine and thus can easily be installed like street lights in open areas across Sundbyberg.

4.    Sundbyberg can set an aim to increase energy efficiency in buildings by 20 percent each year. By acting on the proposed idea, all of the buildings in Sundbyberg would be completely energy efficient by 2024. Another interesting strategy is to install green roofs on buildings all across Sundbyberg. Green roofs helps in mitigating urban heat island effect. The city administration on Copenhagen has considered the frequent installation of green roofs as an integral part of its strategy to mitigate climate change.

5.  The municipality of Sundbyberg has an aim to reduce CO2 emissions up-to 40% by 2020 when compared with the emission level of 1990. It is vital to follow-up the progress to evaluate if Sundbyberg is on track or otherwise. If it is on track, then the aim should be further up-scaled to 100% CO2 neutrality by 2030. One concrete step in this regard is to increase forest cover in Sundbyberg by 5% each year and to use that increase to reduce carbon footprint. By doing so, the forest cover in Sundbyberg would be increased by another 25% by 2024 and 50% by 2029. Another significant step is to invest in climate positive projects that would help Sundbyberg in neutralizing its CO2 emissions. Zero Mission is a consultancy firm that helps organizations with investments in climate positive projects to reduce and neutralize their carbon footprint. Zero emission has facilitated Max Burgers AB in 2018 to offset 105,000 tons of CO2 from its overall business operations.

6.  It is important to make Sundbyberg an even more bicycle friendly community for its residents. An increase in the usage of bicycle will not only reduce the emission from private vehicles but will also promote a healthy lifestyle too. Likewise, an equally interesting idea is to apply Guardtop solution to roads in Sundbyberg to mitigate urban heat island effect. Traditional roads are made of black asphalt that absorbs heat. On the contrary, the asphalt developed by Guardtop is white in color and thus it basically reflects heat back. This reduces the temperature in the surrounding areas and thus reduces the energy demand for cooling. Guardtop has applied the solution across USA and a youtube video reflecting its climate positive benefits is available on this link.

7. Recycle every single piece of plastic in Sundbyberg. I know this sounds too ambitious but plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental problems of our era. A single piece of plastic takes 400 years to decay and thus the best place to leave plastic is recycle bin.

8. Increase the existing carbon dioxide tax in Sundbyberg municipality by 2x. The current tax is SEK 1180 per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted in atmosphere. This means the price tag to emit 1,000 kilograms of CO2 in atmosphere is SEK 1180. Likewise, motivate and educate the residents in Sundbyberg to use only clean energy to power their houses. Develop rules and regulations that would facilitate masses to shift to electric vehicles powered by clean electricity. It would be effective to develop a goal that by 2030 each private vehicle in Sundbyberg would be electric in operation and powered by clean electricity.

Summing up all, ensuring every child in School, silicon solar pv cells on each roof, vertical axis wind turbines all across Sundbyberg, an increase in forest cover by 5% each year, neutralization of CO2 through Zero Mission, recycling each piece of plastic and increasing carbon tax by 2x are major steps that would further increase the implementation of sustainability in Sundbyberg. By doing so, we can ensure a sustainable Sundbyberg for us and our coming generations. Finally, the given suggestions are realistic in nature and can be achieved through the investment of time, human potential and financial resource. Before 1973, windpower  was a dream for Denmark, now it produce over 40% of its total electricity through wind turbines. So can be the case for Sundbyberg with all of the given suggestions in this short report.

© Copyright 2019 Ayoub Hameedi. All rights reserved.

Rising poverty, Aging masses and a Sound economic growth in Sweden

Ayoub Hameedi

Rising poverty is an important socio-economic challenge for the national Government in Sweden. It is quite unfortunate that the percentage of masses at the risk of poverty has doubled in Sweden since 1991. In the beginning of 1991, the percentage was slightly above 7% whereas in 2015, it jumped to 15%. An increasing gulf between the two figures highlight the fact that strategies must be designed & implemented to uplift masses out of a financially challenging scenario. Mahatma Gandhi referred poverty as the worst form of violence and it is a root cause of majority of problems in any society. Government in Sweden should focus on coping poverty on priority basis as it can and will hinder progress in Swedish society in years to come. Simultaneously, masses at the risk of poverty should take initiatives on their own, too. Policy makers in Sweden can consider Germany as an example in this regard. The poverty statistics in Germany are the same as in Sweden, so strategies adopted in Germany might serve as an example for policy makers in Sweden too. Policy makers in Germany places a lot of emphasize on the capacity building of children, adults, women, single parents with an immigrant background. German policy makers also prioritize persons with disabilities when it comes to empowering for the sake of a sustainable economic role in German society. A key reason is that German population is aging plus the growth ratio of population is fairly slow therefore, the German policy makers have relied on immigration to resolve the issue of labor shortage when it comes to sustaining business-as-usual. It is understandable that problems will arise with no immediate solutions and magic bullets but once things will be settled, it will be beneficial for Germany in near and far in future.

The policy makers in Sweden can group unemployed masses as per their technical skills and qualifications. They can then design tailor-made training programs to further enhance the skills and capacities of unemployed masses. It will be a win-win situation for both the Swedish government and society as a whole. It is important to mention here that 20% of masses in Sweden are over 65 (i.e. standard age of retirement) and the figure is further expected to reach 23% by 2040. Fortunately, economic development in Sweden has seen the highest growth since 2010. It means that Sweden will soon be in need of labor which is not only skilled and appropriately qualified but young as well so that it can work in a particular field for the coming 25 – 30 years. The results of the tailor-made programs might be visible in 5 – 6 years but once successfully implemented, the prepared labor force  will be ready to work for next 20 – 30 years. Moreover, the amount invested for the sake of design and implementation of tailor made programs will be recovered in 7- 8 years while the additional years of work will be a sheer profit for the Swedish Government and society.

Swedish Government spends USD 12.7 billion on elderly care each year. This financial spending is directly proportional to number of masses beyond 65 years. Therefore, an increase in the number of masses over 65 will certainly increase the spending on elderly care too. It is essential that the national government would consider this issue on priority basis. It is both about financial resource and shortage of labor and both factors can collectively undermine economic development in Sweden in years to come. A key measure to cope aging population and labor shortage is to extend the average age of retirement to 70 years contrary to 65. Government can start a social campaign to make masses aware of the reasons behind this policy. It will not only increase the average monthly pension for masses once they will retire at 70 but will also reduce pressure from Government’s shoulders when it comes to managing labor force to replace the previous generation. The average age of retirement in Denmark, Germany, France, Great Britain, Netherlands, Spain and Iceland are expected to be extended from their present level in a coming decade or so.

With reference to mitigating poverty, one can always choose to focus on personal development by reading books and gaining knowledge in a particular field. Observing others is another key skill. Young masses without jobs can choose to observe masses employed at restaurants and shops and can learn basic job skills through observation. Easier said than done but one has to start somewhere and rest will take care of itself. Another idea is to take initiative in the form of asking for an internship or an employment opportunity. The worst that can ever happen is no as an answer and there is always another opportunity around the corner provided you pursue it with persistence. One can choose to deal with life like a roman gladiator in the Colosseum. One can also distribute open applications comprising of a signed cover letter and resume. Another idea is to seek the guidance from elders as they have been through the process and have the required knowledge and skills to deliver. Finding a job, developing a sound knowledge base & expertise in a particular field and an efficient management of financial resource are the key strategies to uplift oneself out of a tight financial scenario. It is both the responsibility of government and masses to take initiatives to eradicate poverty. Both stakeholder have to work together as equal pillars to sustain economic growth and stability in society. Lastly, poverty is like a plague as it takes the best out of you and leaves you with nothing. Therefore, every step should be taken to eradicate it on priority basis.

© Copyright 2017 Ayoub Hameedi. All rights reserved.

Promoting resource efficiency in Stockholm

Ayoub Hameedi

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and is amongst the most sustainable places to live in the world. In the next thirty years, it will face an exponential growth in population which will require an adequate place to live plus work opportunities to sustain economic growth in a decent manner.  The population of city is 2 million and is further expected to reach 3 million by 2045. An increase of a million people will certainly raise an overall ecological footprint of Stockholm. Assuming that the per capita ecological footprint would remain the same, an overall ecological footprint of Stockholm will increase another 50% in the coming three decades. From a critical perspective, the city has finite resources and there is a dire need to implement strategies which could promote resource efficiency in terms of per capita consumption of food, water and energy.

Sweden belongs to the group of most technologically advanced countries which are responsible for a loin’s share of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission on annual basis. As a counter strategy, the current Government has decided to generate 100% of electricity from renewable resources by 2040 and to be completely carbon neutral by 2045. There are several measures which can be taken to guide Stockholm towards supporting an exponential growth in population with the available finite resources. First and foremost action is to achieve maximum benefit from a limited resource. Water can be an example when it comes to introducing a change in an existing paradigm. Stockholm Vatten and Avfall provides 360,000 cubic meters of drinking water per day through two water treatment plants in Növo and Norsborg. At the end of each day, 355,000 cubic meters of used water is treated in waste water treatment plants in Bromma and Henriksdal. This treated water is then retrieved in Lake Mälaren. It must be appreciated that the Stockholm Vatten and Avfall treats 98.6% of supplied water on daily basis. However, a real challenge lies in satisfying the demands of an increased population without putting an additional stress on the available resources. The goal should be to reduce the overall ecological footprint of Stockholm by reducing the per capita water consumption. A key method to achieve this goal is to encourage people to be environment friendly when it comes to the consumption of water. Another would be to install low flow toilets to reduce water consumption when it comes flushing. It is important to mention here that flushing normally accounts for 33.3% of total water consumption in a household. Thus replacing an old inefficient model with a new efficient one can enable a household to reduce a quarter of its water consumption on daily basis.

A traditional shower head releases around 15 – 25 liters of water in a minute. On the contrary, a water efficient shower head releases 6 – 7 liters in a minute. An ordinary tap releases around 15 – 18 liters of water a minute whereas, a low flow tap produces 2 liters per minute. Over the span of a decade these measures will save enough water to satisfy a significant portion of water demand of an increased population without stressing out the available finite resources. It is equally important to mention here that the treatment of waste water is an energy intensive process. In the first cycle, if less water will be utilized to accomplish the same tasks, as a result less waste water will be treated in the second cycle. This shift in an existing paradigm will certainly reduce the electricity and water related footprint of Stockholm city.

A keen attention to proper insulation of buildings will also minimize the use of energy on both short and long term basis. Likewise, urban farming can also help Stockholm to reduce a part of its diet related ecological footprint. In 2005, urban farming provided food to 700 million people around the globe. Another effective strategy can be to install small scale wind turbines with an output capacity of 450 watts on prime locations in Stockholm. In order to determine the outcome, a pilot project can be tested with an installation of 50 turbines. In case of appreciation, the project can then be scaled up to install another 450 small scale wind turbines across the city. Collectively, these 500 small scale wind turbines won’t produce a large share of electricity however, the initiative will certainly motivate individuals to take actions to promote sustainability. WWF Sweden has recommended a “triangle of change strategy” where businesses, national government and masses would take joint actions to promote resource efficiency. The goals related to Sustainable Development can only be achieved when all three pillars of a society (i.e. government, businesses and masses) would equally participate in the formation and implementation of a  sustainability oriented strategy. Finally, installation of water efficient equipment, paying attention to proper insulation of buildings and installation of small scale wind turbines will allow Stockholm to facilitate its growing population in a resource efficient manner. These steps will also facilitate Government in achieving its goal related to a carbon neutral Sweden by 2045.

© Copyright 2017 Ayoub Hameedi. All rights reserved.