The light footprint of Roman sandals
By
Miriam Eisermann on 17 June 2010
How light can the footprint of a Roman sandal be?
Very light, if Rome’s Mayor Gianni Alemanno has his way for reducing his city’s carbon footprint. At the beginning of this month, he presented a strategy aiming at a considerable reduction of the Italian capital’s GHG emissions. Prepared by the eco-economist Jeremy Rifkin (speaker at Energy Cities’ Annual Rendezvous in 2009), this "master plan" will transition our Italian member city into the ’World’s first post-carbon biosphere city’. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? By 2030, the Rome could have reduced carbon emissions by 46 per cent and be self-sufficient in its energy and food production.
And although the cost over the 20-year period would be 10 billion euros, the return on investment from savings on energy and infrastructure maintenance, plus the spinoffs from new technological developments, could be 16 billion euros. Under the Rifkin plan Rome would be divided into inter-connecting residential, commercial-industrial and agricultural zones all linked by new non-polluting public transport systems and served by revolutionary distribution grids for renewable energy.
Since several years already, the city is committed to an ambitious climate policy in the framework of its ‘Rome for Kyoto’ project.
Rome is one of the 1800 signatories of the Covenant of Mayors.
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