Did you know that visiting Siena means entering a Carbon Neutral area?
Thanks to a shared project between the Provincial Administration, the University of Siena and the Mps Foundation, Siena’s territory was the first large area in Europe to be certified ISO 14064-1 and, it has achieved Carbon Neutrality since 2011.
This milestone was reached 4 years ahead of schedule and 14 years ahead of the other greenest cities.
In 2001, with financial support from the Monte dei Paschi Foundation (FMPS), the Administration of the Province of Siena promoted the SPIn-Eco research program. During this project (until 2005), various sustainability indicators (e.g., Emergy, Ecological Footprint and Greenhouse Gas Inventory) were used on a provincial scale. The GHG inventory results were strongly correlated with other indicators such as Ecological Footprint and Non-Renewable Emergy, showing promising results: about 60% of CO2 was reabsorbed by local ecosystems.
Since 2008, the REGES (Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Project has produced greenhouse gas inventories in time series (ISO 14064-1 validated) to develop strategic actions to mitigate climate change.
In this context, the provincial administration has directed its policy program toward achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2015 (‘Siena Carbon Free 2015’).
The REGES Project was supported by the FMPS and combines three elements in a loop:
- analysis/monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions and absorption (Ecodynamics Group, University of Siena);
- inspection/certification (RINA Services S.p.A.);
- environmental policies (Province of Siena).
In 2011 (4 years ahead of schedule) the ambitious goal of Carbon Neutrality was achieved with an abatement rate of 102%. It’s a major achievement considering that it was only in 2015 that the UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were approved, which include the decarbonization of our economies, among other things.
In the following years, there was a decreasing trend in emissions and in 2016 the greenhouse gas balance (gross emissions – forest uptake = net emissions) showed an abatement of 108%. To maintain and improve the territory’s performance, the ALLEANZA TERRITORIALE PER LA CARBON NEUTRALITY: SIENA (TERRITORIAL ALLIANCE FOR CARBON NEUTRALITY: SIENA) was founded to consolidate and improve these achievements by promoting sustainable actions over time.
Over the years, Sienambiente S.p.A., Estra S.p.A. have become supporting members, while the Chamber of Commerce of Siena and Arezzo, Sarrocchi Technical Institute and other institutions have joined as partners.
USEFUL LINKS
FB: @sienacarbonneutral
Carbon Neutral Conversations – Carbon Neutral Meetings and Stories
Street of Siena – Public meeting
