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Keywords:

Climate mitigation, Klimaatneutraal, Leuven

Abstract:

This report addresses the question on how the city of Leuven (Belgium) can become a climate neutral, resilient city by 2030. In order to tackle this question a multi‐actor project and process was set up to map the present situation in Leuven and to collectively design transition paths to climate neutrality. The key results of this report are summarised below. Prior to describing the scenarios towards climate neutrality the key data for “Leuven 2010” are provided in Chapter 4. The five main conclusions of the baseline emissions study for “Greater Leuven” (which includes the territory of Heverlee, Wijgmaal, Wilsele, Kessel‐Lo) are as follows: • In 2010 the average civilian in Leuven emitted 8,5 ton CO2‐equivalent per year (CO2,eq/year), as determined in Scope 1 + Scope 2, using the Bilan Carbone method (based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol). Greater Leuven has a very specific profile. The distribution of its emissions over the various sectors strongly differs from that of the Province of Limburg or the bigger city of Ghent. Leuven is basically a knowledge economy with a clear role of trade and services and very little industry or agriculture. • The more in‐depth interpretation of the baseline emissions date reveals that the built environment (residential and commercial) is responsible for 60% of Leuven’s Scope 1 + Scope 2 emissions. Transport takes up another 25%.Together, buildings and transport represent 85% of all emissions in Leuven. These two sectors are thus earmarked as the two top priorities for the transition interventions. • In 2010 250 M€/year was spent on energy by all civilians, companies and organisations in Leuven.  This is one of the key drivers for financing the transition paths towards climate neutrality. • The Scope 3 emissions were qualitatively assessed. As expected these Scope 3 emissions (2.435 Mton CO2,eq/year) are even larger than Scope 1 + Scope 2 emissions (808 Mton CO2,eq/year). When developing intervention measures to reduce the Scope 1 + Scope 2 emissions extreme care needs to be taken to avoid increases in Scope 3 emissions elsewhere in the world. LKN 2030 should be an exercise in integrated sustainable development