Lisbon has cut CO2 emissions by 50% in the past few years, so how has such a dramatic reduction been achieved ask Geraldine Herbert Lisbon is the European Green Capital 2020, an award that recognised the city’s commitment to achieving a better urban environment and the transformation that has taken place in the past decade. The city illustrates how green initiatives can support economic recovery and enrich the lives of citizens. Here are just a few of those initiatives Cheap Public Transport – In the city of Lisbon car use is about 46%, whereas at the level of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area it reaches 57%. This is a result of 5 decades of urban-sprawl in the metropolitan area with a car-centric global approach. Since April 2019 a new family pass has been introduced for public transport making it cheaper to ditch the car. Also public transport is free for children under age 13 and for adults over 65. There is also a day pass for €1 allowing travel around the inner city. Increase parking costs – Parking costs in Lisbon have been redesigned in the last decade, with heavier tariffs in areas with high public transportation coverage and frequency, all aiming to promote public transport use. Parking tariffs are also used to fund implementation of the bicycle infrastructure and the municipal shared bike system expansion. Invest in cycling – A consistent increase in bicycle investment during the last 12 years changed the face of the city for cycling commuting. Twenty million euro has been allocated until 2021 to double to 200km of cycleways at the same time. In 2017, Lisbon launched a bike-sharing scheme, with electric bikes comprising two-thirds of the fleet to encourage cycling in the hillier parts of the city and 20,000 journeys are taken every day. Introduce a Low Emission Zone – In 2011, Lisbon created the first Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) in Portugal. Centred in the downtown area, the LEZ covers approximately 30% of the city and involves removing fossil fuel cars from the downtown area to create 6.5 hectares of new public spaces for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. Increase the bus fleet – Between 2017 and 2023, 420 new buses are being purchased by the municipality and in the last year alone, the total number of buses was raised from 600 to 700....