Copenhagen to be world’s first carbon-neutral capital

To reduce overall energy consumption, the citys old buildings must be retrofitted to be energy-efficient. Photos: The Star/Tan Cheng Li

In Kuala Lumpur, we keep building highways to accommodate our ever-growing fleet of cars. In Copenhagen, they keep building bicycle lanes – including an elevated one that crosses the harbour – to make commuting by two-wheelers more convenient and comfortable for city dwellers. Indeed, while KL-ites shirk their responsibility in combating climate change, Copenhageners embrace their role with gusto.

The Danish capital has long been known as a cyclist’s haven, but getting more people to hop on their bikes took on more momentum after the city municipality embarked on an ambitious plan in August 2012 – to be the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2025. This zero-carbon mode of mobility is one of the ways for the city to meet its climate goal, along with replacing coal with biomass, adding more wind and solar electricity to the grid, and upgrading energy-guzzling buildings.