How we heat our cities has a great impact on both community health and the stability of our economy and society, influencing long-term resilience. For a healthier and stronger future, let’s detoxify our cities' heat together!
Heating and cooling of buildings in the EU is responsible for 80% of all energy used in European households, emitting a total of 592 million tonnes of CO2 per year! This is due to the reliance on fossil fuels for heating and cooling, which compromises our emission targets, our citizens’ health and the efficiency of our economy. In Europe today, still, 72% of our buildings’ heating relies on fossil fuels.
If these facts sound alarming, know that there is good news too! Cities are stepping up as key players in the transition towards cleaner heating and cooling solutions. These detoxes can take many forms, many aiming for a full-city detox by leveraging district heating and replacing carbon-heavy and polluting sources with cleaner, healthier ingredients.
Zooming in on cities’ heat decarbonisation, the Cities Heat Detox campaign advocates for healthy heat in cities. It aims to showcase inspiring stories and the motives behind them, as well as the benefits, impacts, sources and conditions of a good heat detox! But one step at a time: this detox journey is only just starting.
Unlocking cities’ potential
Cities have the potential and the will to make a big difference. Having experienced the negative impacts of carbon-heavy heat, and the benefits of a thorough heat detox, they seek to implement solutions that bring them closer to climate neutrality and a clean environment.
Through effective heat planning and the expansion of collective solutions like decarbonised district heating, local governments can phase out toxic sources in their heating on a large scale. And with so many healthy ingredients to choose from – geothermal, solar heat, recovered waste heat, large scale water-based heat pumps...- there is personalised detox mix suitable for every city and town!
For now, we covered the reasons and benefits of a heat detox, but we will get to all the methods and conditions in time... Stay tuned and join us for this year-long campaign to discover all about cities’ journey to healthier heat and cool.
Be a part of the campaign!
Your city has started a detox? Whether you are planning or implementing decarbonised heating in your city, be sure to share your story with the rest of the community. Submit your heat detox story to get featured on our map.
Learn more about why you should detox your city here.