IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i11p6534-d825104.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Carbon Handprint Approach for Cities and Regions: A Framework to Reveal and Assess the Potential of Cities in Climate Change Mitigation

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Lakanen

    (Department of Sustainability Science, LUT School of Energy Systems, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT), FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland)

  • Heli Kumpulainen

    (LCA Consulting Oy, Laserkatu 6, FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland)

  • Olli Helppi

    (Department of Sustainability Science, LUT School of Energy Systems, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT), FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland)

  • Kaisa Grönman

    (Department of Sustainability Science, LUT School of Energy Systems, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT), FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland)

  • Risto Soukka

    (Department of Sustainability Science, LUT School of Energy Systems, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT), FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland)

Abstract

Cities play a pivotal role in climate change mitigation; however, the methodology to quantify actual emission reduction potential of climate interventions implemented by cities and regions has been lacking. The aim of this study is to create a framework to assess positive climate impacts of cities and regions by modifying the life-cycle assessment (LCA)-based carbon handprint framework. Additionally, a step-by-step guidance to perform calculations is presented. A case study of the Finnish city of Espoo is used to further develop and test the regional handprint approach both qualitatively and quantitatively. According to our research, a city′s carbon handprint can be determined through the three main mechanism categories of ownership, operating environment and projects. In the case of Espoo, the carbon handprint of building public electric vehicle charging stations on city-owned land from the mechanism category of ownership showed to be up to 110 tCO 2 eq/a for 18 charging stations. However, the overall handprint of a city consists of several actions, to be calculated separately. The regional carbon handprint approach provides a useful instrument to reliable quantify and communicate the innovative climate actions implemented by a city and it can be used in cities′ climate work as well as in marketing and branding purposes. Handprint turns the focus on possibilities for increasing a city vitality. As a provider of climate solutions, a city can attract new taxpayers and by focusing efforts to a certain sector, a city can help companies to reach synergies in fields essential from the climate point of view.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Lakanen & Heli Kumpulainen & Olli Helppi & Kaisa Grönman & Risto Soukka, 2022. "Carbon Handprint Approach for Cities and Regions: A Framework to Reveal and Assess the Potential of Cities in Climate Change Mitigation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-14, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:11:p:6534-:d:825104
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/11/6534/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/11/6534/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Diana Ürge-Vorsatz & Cynthia Rosenzweig & Richard J. Dawson & Roberto Sanchez Rodriguez & Xuemei Bai & Aliyu Salisu Barau & Karen C. Seto & Shobhakar Dhakal, 2018. "Locking in positive climate responses in cities," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(3), pages 174-177, March.
    2. Jani Laine & Jukka Heinonen & Seppo Junnila, 2020. "Pathways to Carbon-Neutral Cities Prior to a National Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-14, March.
    3. Kern, Kristine, 2019. "Cities as leaders in EU multilevel climate governance: embedded upscaling of local experiments in Europe," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 28(1), pages 125-145.
    4. Cynthia Rosenzweig & William Solecki & Stephen A. Hammer & Shagun Mehrotra, 2010. "Cities lead the way in climate–change action," Nature, Nature, vol. 467(7318), pages 909-911, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nkweauseh Reginald Longfor & Jiarong Hu & You Li & Xuepeng Qian & Weisheng Zhou, 2023. "Scientometric Trends and Knowledge Gaps of Zero-Emission Campuses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-24, November.
    2. Silvia Rivas & Ruben Urraca & Paolo Bertoldi, 2022. "Covenant of Mayors 2020 Achievements: A Two-Speed Climate Action Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-21, November.
    3. Ana Gonzalez & Christof Brandtner, 2024. "Green in their own way: Pragmatic and progressive means for cities to overcome institutional barriers to sustainability," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(13), pages 2513-2530, October.
    4. Anthony Goerzen & Christian Geisler Asmussen & Bo Bernhard Nielsen, 2024. "Global cities, the liability of foreignness, and theory on place and space in international business," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 55(1), pages 10-27, February.
    5. Miquel Salvador & David Sancho, 2021. "The Role of Local Government in the Drive for Sustainable Development Public Policies. An Analytical Framework Based on Institutional Capacities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, May.
    6. Vincent Wretling & Berit Balfors, 2021. "Building Institutional Capacity to Plan for Climate Neutrality: The Role of Local Co-Operation and Inter-Municipal Networks at the Regional Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, February.
    7. Mehryar, Sara & Sasson, Idan & Surminski, Swenja, 2022. "Supporting urban adaptation to climate change: what role can resilience measurement tools play?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 113367, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Antje Otto & Kristine Kern & Wolfgang Haupt & Peter Eckersley & Annegret H. Thieken, 2021. "Ranking local climate policy: assessing the mitigation and adaptation activities of 104 German cities," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 167(1), pages 1-23, July.
    9. Jeroen van der Heijden, 2021. "When opportunity backfires: exploring the implementation of urban climate governance alternatives in three major US cities [Are LEED-Certified Buildings Energy-Efficient in Practice?]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 40(1), pages 116-135.
    10. Kristine Kern & Janne Irmisch & Colette Odermatt & Wolfgang Haupt & Ingrid Kissling-Näf, 2021. "Cultural Heritage, Sustainable Development, and Climate Policy: Comparing the UNESCO World Heritage Cities of Potsdam and Bern," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-19, August.
    11. S. A. Mashi & A. I. Inkani & Oghenejeabor Obaro & A. S. Asanarimam, 2020. "Community perception, response and adaptation strategies towards flood risk in a traditional African city," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 103(2), pages 1727-1759, September.
    12. Kılkış, Şiir & Ulpiani, Giulia & Vetters, Nadja, 2024. "Visions for climate neutrality and opportunities for co-learning in European cities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    13. Shao Sun & Zunya Wang & Chuanye Hu & Ge Gao, 2021. "Understanding Climate Hazard Patterns and Urban Adaptation Measures in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-12, December.
    14. Vita, Gibran & Lundström, Johan R. & Hertwich, Edgar G. & Quist, Jaco & Ivanova, Diana & Stadler, Konstantin & Wood, Richard, 2019. "The Environmental Impact of Green Consumption and Sufficiency Lifestyles Scenarios in Europe: Connecting Local Sustainability Visions to Global Consequences," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1-1.
    15. Liu, Yingying & Chen, Sha & Jiang, Kejun & Kaghembega, Wendkuuni Steve-Harold, 2022. "The gaps and pathways to carbon neutrality for different type cities in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 244(PA).
    16. Irmisch, Janne & Haupt, Wolfgang & Eckersley, Peter & Kern, Kristine & Müller, Hannah, 2022. "Klimapolitische Entwicklungspfade deutscher Groß- und Mittelstädte," IRS Dialog 2/2022, Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS).
    17. Stefan Werland, 2020. "Diffusing Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning in the EU," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-16, October.
    18. Tian, Jing & Andraded, Celio & Lumbreras, Julio & Guan, Dabo & Wang, Fangzhi & Liao, Hua, 2018. "Integrating Sustainability Into City-level CO2 Accounting: Social Consumption Pattern and Income Distribution," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 1-16.
    19. Marta Bottero & Federico Dell’Anna & Vito Morgese, 2021. "Evaluating the Transition Towards Post-Carbon Cities: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-28, January.
    20. Simone Lucatello & Roberto Sánchez, 2022. "Climate Change in North America: Risks, Impacts, and Adaptation. A Reflection Based on the IPCC Report AR6 - 2022," Remef - Revista Mexicana de Economía y Finanzas Nueva Época REMEF (The Mexican Journal of Economics and Finance), Instituto Mexicano de Ejecutivos de Finanzas, IMEF, vol. 17(4), pages 1-18, Octubre -.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:11:p:6534-:d:825104. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.