WEBVTT

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Cities are huge energy consumers.

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But how much influence do you actually
have on where your energy comes from and

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how it is generated?

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First of all, in most cases, cities do
not

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generate the energy they consume
themselves.

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Electricity, gas and heat are usually
obtained from the surrounding area or

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even from other countries.

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So if coal still makes up a large part of
the electricity mix in

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Germany, there is very little a single
city can do about it.

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Technological developments, for example
in the battery capacity

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of electric cars, or social factors such
as the desire for one's own

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car or spacious living space are also not
in the hands of the cities.

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And yet cities have room for manoeuvre.

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For example, many have their own
municipal utilities and can therefore

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have a say in how they generate, purchase
or use energy.

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Keyword district heating: Through your
urban land-use planning, you

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influence how efficient buildings and
districts are and how much energy you

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need.

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And with clever traffic planning, you can
also set the course.

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Rely on motorized private transport.

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Or are you creating a city where people
get

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around on foot, by bike or by public
transport?

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We will go into more detail on the topic.

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But now think again of our example of the
sustainable city on Mars.

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In the second chapter of our course, how
the city is planned

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and built has a major impact on your
energy and material consumption.

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These decisions show that even though
cities are part of larger

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systems, they can make a decisive
contribution to decarbonisation

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with political will, foresight and smart
investments.