Climate Politics in Action #3 Cities, EU and the elections with Katarina Luhr
Wednesday 7th September Katarina Luhr (MP), vice-mayor for Climate and Environment in the municipality of Stockholm, came to the Climate Action house for the third Climate Politics in Action event. Many different topics were discussed during the dialogue, led by student employee Oscar Stenström and KTH students could freely join the discussion.
As a first topic, concrete climate action in cities were discussed. As Katarina explained, Stockholm City has a goal of becoming climate neutral by 2030, and zero emission by 2040. To reach these targets, Katarina highlighted transportation, and the reduction of traffic in the cities, as it now contributes to 2/3 of the emissions in Stockholm. Investment in infrastructure, such as public transport and biking lanes, was discussed.
It was also discussed how politicians can impact behavioral changes towards more climate friendly actions, without using legislative power, such as laws. Food was brought up as an example, where introducing more climate friendly food with radically less meat to kinder gardens and schools would be a way of having children get used to a plant based diet early on. Stockholm City today serves over 100 thousands children meals each day.
The electricity crisis, both in Sweden and Europe was also discussed, including cultural differences in electricity saving practices between countries. Technological solutions, such as changing from direct electrical heating to district heating, and the political challenges of introducing new technology was brought up, as well as technology’s role in the climate transition. In summary, we cannot wait to act on the climate crisis until we have all solutions to scale up. However, to change things faster we need technology, and we can’t solve climate crisis without available technology today.
After the event there was an informal mingel where students stayed, continued the discussion on these important questions with both Katarina and each other. All in all, a great event, hope to see you at the next one!