30 SMART climate solutions for Utrecht up to 2030
The Climate Opportunities Map for the Province of Utrecht works out 30 climate solutions in a SMART way: specific, measurable and phased up to 2030. Together they offer an avoidance potential of 5,835 ktonne CO₂-eq and a sequestration potential of 160 ktonne per year. The map builds on the Preliminary Climate Solutions Assessment (PSCA, 2021) and follows the Drawdown methodology.
Where the 2021 PSCA showed whére Utrecht’s biggest climate opportunities lie, the opportunities map makes them actionable: 30 solutions with a concrete target, an annual phasing and a place in the TOP 15. The biggest lever is in mobility (35.7% of the potential), led by cleaning up the vehicle fleet: 697 ktonne CO₂-eq, the single largest solution on the entire map.
About this Climate Opportunities Map
- Prepared for
- Province of Utrecht.
- In collaboration with
- Climate Cleanup and the Drawdown Europe Research Association (DERA).
- The question
- Which climate solutions can the Province of Utrecht deploy concretely, SMART and phased up to 2030?
- Method
- The Drawdown methodology with a SMART elaboration in two scenarios (Baseline and Ambitious), building on the 2021 PSCA.
- Most notable result
- The biggest lever is in mobility: 2,141 ktonne CO₂-eq (35.7% of the total), with cleaning up the vehicle fleet as the single largest solution (697 ktonne).
From PSCA to 30 SMART solutions
In 2021 the Preliminary Climate Solutions Assessment (PSCA) mapped which climate solutions deliver the most for the Province of Utrecht. The opportunities map takes the next step: 30 solutions worked out in a SMART way — specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic and time-bound. The 30 stem from 19 PSCA solutions, 7 additional Drawdown solutions and 4 mobility cluster solutions (based on Delft CE & Goudappel).
For each solution the potential, a concrete target and an annual phasing towards 2030 have been determined, in a Baseline scenario (current and intended policy) and an Ambitious scenario (extra ambition). The figures on this map show the ambitious scenario.
Avoidance versus sequestration. Avoidance prevents greenhouse gases from arising or being released. Sequestration removes CO₂ from the air and stores it long-term in soil, biomass or long-lived materials such as timber. Some solutions do both.
Five themes, 30 solutions
The 30 solutions are spread across five themes. Mobility carries the largest share of the potential, followed by electricity and the built environment. Industry is the smallest theme by size, but delivers the largest share of sequestration through biobased building materials.
| Theme | Avoidance 2030 | Sequestration 2030 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobility | 2,141 ktonne | – | 35.7% |
| Electricity | 1,515 ktonne | – | 25.3% |
| Built environment | 1,287 ktonne | – | 21.5% |
| Agriculture and land use | 721 ktonne | 63 ktonne | 13.1% |
| Industry | 170 ktonne | 98 ktonne | 4.5% |
Potential per theme in the ambitious scenario, per year in 2030. Total 5,835 ktonne avoidance plus 160 ktonne sequestration. Due to rounding, subtotals may differ slightly from the total.
The TOP 15 towards 2030
Fifteen solutions together cover the lion’s share of Utrecht’s potential. The ranking is led by mobility and electricity; building with timber combines avoidance with the largest sequestration on the map.
| # | Solution | Theme | Avoidance (ktonne) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleaner mobility | Mobility | 697 |
| 2 | Solar on land | Electricity | 601 |
| 3 | Changing mobility | Mobility | 563 |
| 4 | Zero-emission zones | Mobility | 523 |
| 5 | Wind on land | Electricity | 416 |
| 6 | Reducing mobility | Mobility | 358 |
| 7 | Solar on roof | Electricity | 310 |
| 8 | Heat pumps (non-residential) | Built environment | 297 |
| 9 | Home insulation | Built environment | 270 |
| 10 | Plant-based diet | Agriculture and land use | 258 |
| 11 | Peat meadow | Agriculture and land use | 250 |
| 12 | Building with timber | Industry | 117 (+93 sequestration) |
| 13 | Heat networks (homes) | Built environment | 187 |
| 14 | Heat pumps (homes) | Built environment | 183 |
| 15 | Non-residential insulation | Built environment | 162 |
Province as an example
Alongside 30 opportunities for the region, the map looks at the Province of Utrecht as an organisation in its own right. Its operations emit around 5,724 tonnes of CO₂ per year (2019); the ambition is to fully reduce its own emissions (scope 1 and 2) by 2030, with energy-neutral real estate in 2035 and an energy-neutral organisation in 2040.
To live up to that exemplary role, 40 concrete steps have been worked out: 25 opportunities and 15 transition tips, ten of which can start immediately and fifteen in the short term. The province also has a national exemplary role with its internal CO₂ price of 875 euros per tonne, which weighs in on cost-benefit analyses.
Coherence and preconditions
The solutions do not stand alone. Some are preconditional: their realisation is crucial for the success of others. Mobility, for instance, is linked to spreading energy consumption and small rooftop solar installations, and themes reinforce one another through spatial planning. A focus matrix sets each solution’s potential against risk and price per tonne of CO₂-eq, making visible where the province can best start: with solutions that have high potential and low risk.
Method, scenarios and sources
The opportunities map follows the Drawdown methodology and builds on the 2021 PSCA. For each solution the total addressable potential in Utrecht has been calculated, each time in a Baseline scenario (current and intended policy plus market development) and an Ambitious scenario (extra ambition). Current and intended policy achieve 26–44% CO₂-eq avoidance in 2030; the ambitious scenario brings ~79% reduction potential into view, well above the provincial target of 49% and ambition of 55%. All assumptions, system boundaries and sources per solution are set out in the sector reports and the methodological annex. The map was carried out by New Economy on behalf of the Province of Utrecht, in the name of the Drawdown Europe Research Association (DERA) and with knowledge partner Climate Cleanup.
Indicative, to order. The figures order opportunities and are not project-specific guarantees. The ambitious scenario shows the upper bound of what is possible; the full underpinning is in the calculation model and the methodological annex.
Insights from the opportunities map
The citable figures, insights and recommendations from all six themes, as individual cards. Free to use under CC BY 4.0, with attribution.
Frequently asked questions
A Climate Opportunities Map translates climate ambition into concrete, calculated solutions per theme. For each solution the avoidance or sequestration potential, a SMART target and a phasing towards 2030 are mapped. New Economy develops these maps for provinces and regions based on the Drawdown methodology.
The Climate Opportunities Map for the Province of Utrecht was prepared by New Economy on behalf of the Province of Utrecht, in the name of the Drawdown Europe Research Association (DERA) and with knowledge partner Climate Cleanup.
The 30 SMART solutions together offer an avoidance potential of 5,835 ktonne CO₂-eq and a sequestration potential of 160 ktonne per year in the ambitious scenario. That brings ~79% reduction potential into view towards 2030.
The PSCA (2021) mapped which climate solutions deliver the most for Utrecht. The opportunities map works out 30 of them in a SMART way: specific, measurable and phased, with a concrete target and annual planning per solution up to 2030.
SMART stands for specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic and time-bound. Each solution has a concrete target (for example hectares, homes or installations) and an annual phasing towards 2030, in a Baseline scenario and an Ambitious scenario.
Further reading
A Climate Opportunities Map for your region or province?
From a Preliminary Climate Solutions Assessment to a SMART, phased plan with concrete targets per solution.
See the approach