Climate issue plays important role in city policy: Tampere Mayor

The City of Tampere took various types of action to reach the climate objectives and reduce emissions to make the air quality of Tampere exceptionally good in 2020.

The average value of fine particulate matter of Tampere, ranked second among European cities for air quality, has been almost halved between the months of spring in 2019 and 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic may have, however, played a role in the reduction.

“We have taken several actions to reach our climate objectives and reduce emissions. For instance, our new tram has been connected as a part of our public transport system and will start operating in August,” Tampere City Mayor Lauri Lyly told the Daily Finland.

With a climate guide for its citizens and the Sustainable Tampere 2030 road map, the city defines measures to achieve carbon neutrality.

“We have also been measuring street particulates since 2005. 2020 was the first year when there was no exceeds. Usually, there are 10 or so during the spring,” the Mayor said.

The most important sources for fine particulate matter are traffic and industries. With more than 200.000 inhabitants, Tampere is not only one of Finland’s most important traffic hubs but also an important industrial site. As the largest inland center in the Nordic countries, it has been given the nickname “Manchester of the North”.

Talking about the good ranking of air quality, Lyly said that Tampere’s location has an important role in keeping the air quality good.

“The city is surrounded by lakes and ridges, sited on an isthmus between the lakes Pyhäjärvi and Näsijärvi. The Tammerkoski rapids which run through the city generate hydroelectric power,” he said.

The prevention of climate change plays an important role in the city’s policy that aims at lowering carbon emissions and improving air quality as well.

Lyly described the air quality as an important factor for citizens of Tampere which is “at the very heart of the quality of our everyday life.”

He pointed out that some particulate matters travel pretty far along with the air currents so that they can be detected in Tampere even though they originate in Eastern Europe or the Sahara.

“The volume of traffic and the level of industrial emissions in Nordic countries are mainly lower when compared with those in middle Europe. Power are modern and the fuels used have low sulfur,” Lyly added.

In June, The European Environment Agency ranked Tampere as the second among the cleanest cities in Europe in terms of air quality in 2019–2020.

With an average level of 3,8 μg/m3 fine particulate matter, it was only 0,1 μg/m3 behind the best-ranked Swedish city Umeå. The air quality of 323 European cities was measured in 2019 and 2020.

In 127 cities, the air was under the annual guideline value of the World Health Organization of 10μg/m3, classified as “good.”

With Bergen, Uppsala and Stockholm next to Umeå and Tampere in the top 10, there are many cities from Scandinavia highly ranked, with Helsinki following in the 11th place.