Are the Right Actors Taking the Right Action? - Climate Change Management in Finnish Urban Housing

Riikka Kyrö

Are the Right Actors Taking the Right Action? - Climate Change Management in Finnish Urban Housing

Julkaisun otsikon käännös: Ilmastonmuutoksen hallinta suomalaisessa kaupunkiasumisessa

Tutkimustuotos: Doctoral Thesis › Collection of Articles

Abstrakti

Ihmisen aiheuttama ilmaston lämpeneminen on yksi aikamme suurimmista jakiistanalaisimmista ympäristöongelmista. Vaikka haaste on globaali, paikalliset toimet ovat välttämättömiä. Rakennettu ympäristö, erityisesti kaupungit kulutuskeskittyminä ovat ilmastonmuutoksen torjunnassa keskeisessä roolissa. Tämän väitöskirjatutkimuksen tavoitteena on ollut selvittää mahdollisuuksiailmastonmuutoksen torjuntaan kaupunkimaisessa ympäristössä. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin tapaustutkimuksin kolmea eri kaupunkiympäristön tasoa: yksittäistä asukasta, taloyhtiötä ja kaupunkia. Tutkimuksessa on hyödynnetty ja kehitetty hybridi-pohjaista elinkaarilaskentamenetelmää hiilijalanjälkien mitallistamiseen. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa on käytetty laadullista aineistoa, kuten tapaustutkimuskohteina olleiden taloyhtiöiden isännöitsijöiden haastatteluja. Tutkimuksessa nousi esiin, että ilmastonmuutoksen sosiaalinen ulottuvuus tulisi ottaa huomioon torjuntatoimia suunnitellessa. Etenkin taloyhtiöissä tulisi kiinnittää enemmän huomiota yksittäisten toimijoiden, kuten isännöitsijöiden johtamiseen ja motivointiin. Kaupungin päättävällä tasolla tulisi varmistaa, että vaikka lyhyen aikavälin tavoitteet pakottavat nopeaan toimintaan, tulisi toimien todelliset ilmastovaikutukset ensin selvittää. Tutkimus osoittaa myös, etteivät kaupunkien nykyiset ilmastonmuutosstrategiat sovellu lyhyen tähtäimen tavoitteiden saavuttamiseen. Tutkimuksen johtopäätös on, ettei yksikään toimija tai toimi ole yksinään riittävä ilmastonmuutoksen torjunnassa. Lisäksi vaikuttaa siltä, että esteet tehokkaalle torjunnalle liittyvät enemmän toimijoiden ja toimien ohjaamiseen, kuin teknologisiin rajoituksiin. Kaupunkiympäristön eri tasojen toimijat omaavat vaihtelevantasoista tietoa ja ilmasto-osaamista. Niin yksityistä kulutusta, isännöintikäytäntöjä kuin kaupunkitason päätöksentekoakin tulisi ohjata ilmastonmuutoksen kannalta kestävämpään suuntaan, esimerkiksi tarjoamalla luotettavaa tietoa eri toimien ilmastovaikutuksista helposti ymmärrettävässä muodossa.

Julkaisun otsikon käännös	Ilmastonmuutoksen hallinta suomalaisessa kaupunkiasumisessa
Alkuperäiskieli	Englanti
Pätevyys	Tohtorintutkinto
Myöntävä instituutio	Aalto-yliopisto
Valvoja/neuvonantaja	Junnila, Seppo, Vastuuprofessori
Kustantaja	Aalto University
Painoksen ISBN	978-952-60-5021-8
Sähköinen ISBN	978-952-60-5022-5
Tila	Julkaistu - 2013
OKM-julkaisutyyppi	G5 Artikkeliväitöskirja

Tutkimusalat

hiilijalanjälki
elinkaarianalyysi
ilmastonmuutoksen hallinta
torjunta
asuminen

YK:n kestävän kehityksen tavoitteet

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Pääsy asiakirjaan

http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-60-5022-5

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@phdthesis{aad7b42471c84b18b5f033e3e85514b0,

title = "Are the Right Actors Taking the Right Action? - Climate Change Management in Finnish Urban Housing",

abstract = "Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most severe environmental challenges facing the planet today, and it is certainly one of the most debated. The built environment is a known major culprit, and cities as consumption centers account for a large share of the world{\textquoteright}s consumption-based carbon footprint. It may well be argued that urban communities are at the very core of the climate change problem. The five individual studies included in the dissertation provide an understanding of the most significant urban activities generating GHG emissions, and the potential of different actions and actors to mitigate them. The research was conducted on three different scales addressing the issue from the viewpoint of individual city dwellers, urban housing companies, and finally, cities. For an individual city dweller, some 40% of the carbon footprint was found to derive from housing related activities, indicating a need to further study the impact of urban housing. The results on the housing company scale showed that, in the context of multi-family housing, occupant behavior has only limited influence on the overall energy consumption and consequent carbon footprint. Instead, housing managers who are responsible for the most significant source of GHG emissions, the heating system, appeared more influential. It was further discovered that housing managers{\textquoteright} attitudes and practices differ, and that the differences affect the carbon footprint. The dissertation argues that the social constructiveness of the climate change issue should be acknowledged and considered in planning for mitigation action. More attention should be paid to the management and motivation of individuals, particularly on the housing manager and individual city dweller level. On the policy maker level, while ensuring prompt action, a vigorous attempt to establish the true effects of the action should be maintained. The research concludes that no single action or actor will suffice in mitigating the climate change impact of urban communities. Within the context of urban communities, it would be of essence to improve interaction between the three studies scales (Individual – Housing Company – City). This would in turn require enhancing communication between the threeidentified decision makers (City Dweller – Manager – Policy maker) acting on said scales.",

keywords = "carbon footprint, life-cycle assessment (LCA), LCA, climate change management, mitigation action, urban communities, housing, hiilijalanj{\"a}lki, elinkaarianalyysi, ilmastonmuutoksen hallinta, torjunta, asuminen, carbon footprint, life-cycle assessment (LCA), LCA, climate change management, mitigation action, urban communities, housing",

author = "Riikka Kyr{\"o}",

year = "2013",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-952-60-5021-8",

series = "Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS",

publisher = "Aalto University",

number = "27",

address = "Finland",

school = "Aalto University",

}

TY - BOOK

T1 - Are the Right Actors Taking the Right Action? - Climate Change Management in Finnish Urban Housing

AU - Kyrö, Riikka

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most severe environmental challenges facing the planet today, and it is certainly one of the most debated. The built environment is a known major culprit, and cities as consumption centers account for a large share of the world’s consumption-based carbon footprint. It may well be argued that urban communities are at the very core of the climate change problem. The five individual studies included in the dissertation provide an understanding of the most significant urban activities generating GHG emissions, and the potential of different actions and actors to mitigate them. The research was conducted on three different scales addressing the issue from the viewpoint of individual city dwellers, urban housing companies, and finally, cities. For an individual city dweller, some 40% of the carbon footprint was found to derive from housing related activities, indicating a need to further study the impact of urban housing. The results on the housing company scale showed that, in the context of multi-family housing, occupant behavior has only limited influence on the overall energy consumption and consequent carbon footprint. Instead, housing managers who are responsible for the most significant source of GHG emissions, the heating system, appeared more influential. It was further discovered that housing managers’ attitudes and practices differ, and that the differences affect the carbon footprint. The dissertation argues that the social constructiveness of the climate change issue should be acknowledged and considered in planning for mitigation action. More attention should be paid to the management and motivation of individuals, particularly on the housing manager and individual city dweller level. On the policy maker level, while ensuring prompt action, a vigorous attempt to establish the true effects of the action should be maintained. The research concludes that no single action or actor will suffice in mitigating the climate change impact of urban communities. Within the context of urban communities, it would be of essence to improve interaction between the three studies scales (Individual – Housing Company – City). This would in turn require enhancing communication between the threeidentified decision makers (City Dweller – Manager – Policy maker) acting on said scales.

AB - Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most severe environmental challenges facing the planet today, and it is certainly one of the most debated. The built environment is a known major culprit, and cities as consumption centers account for a large share of the world’s consumption-based carbon footprint. It may well be argued that urban communities are at the very core of the climate change problem. The five individual studies included in the dissertation provide an understanding of the most significant urban activities generating GHG emissions, and the potential of different actions and actors to mitigate them. The research was conducted on three different scales addressing the issue from the viewpoint of individual city dwellers, urban housing companies, and finally, cities. For an individual city dweller, some 40% of the carbon footprint was found to derive from housing related activities, indicating a need to further study the impact of urban housing. The results on the housing company scale showed that, in the context of multi-family housing, occupant behavior has only limited influence on the overall energy consumption and consequent carbon footprint. Instead, housing managers who are responsible for the most significant source of GHG emissions, the heating system, appeared more influential. It was further discovered that housing managers’ attitudes and practices differ, and that the differences affect the carbon footprint. The dissertation argues that the social constructiveness of the climate change issue should be acknowledged and considered in planning for mitigation action. More attention should be paid to the management and motivation of individuals, particularly on the housing manager and individual city dweller level. On the policy maker level, while ensuring prompt action, a vigorous attempt to establish the true effects of the action should be maintained. The research concludes that no single action or actor will suffice in mitigating the climate change impact of urban communities. Within the context of urban communities, it would be of essence to improve interaction between the three studies scales (Individual – Housing Company – City). This would in turn require enhancing communication between the threeidentified decision makers (City Dweller – Manager – Policy maker) acting on said scales.

KW - carbon footprint

KW - life-cycle assessment (LCA)

KW - LCA

KW - climate change management

KW - mitigation action

KW - urban communities

KW - housing

KW - hiilijalanjälki

KW - elinkaarianalyysi

KW - ilmastonmuutoksen hallinta

KW - torjunta

KW - asuminen

KW - carbon footprint

KW - life-cycle assessment (LCA)

KW - LCA

KW - climate change management

KW - mitigation action

KW - urban communities

KW - housing

M3 - Doctoral Thesis

SN - 978-952-60-5021-8

T3 - Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS

PB - Aalto University

ER -

Are the Right Actors Taking the Right Action? - Climate Change Management in Finnish Urban Housing

Abstrakti

Tutkimusalat

YK:n kestävän kehityksen tavoitteet

Pääsy asiakirjaan

Sormenjälki

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