Hamburg, Germany

Hamburg is Germany's second largest city, with approximately 1.8 million residents in its municipality and over 4 million residents in the greater metropolitan area. Hamburg is also home to Europe's second largest port, which for much of the 20th century was the driving force behind Hamburg's economy. In 2009 the European Commission selected Hamburg [Page 255]to act in 2011 as the second European Green Capital because of the city's strict commitment to addressing environmental issues and its farsighted plans for urban renewal. By 2005, Hamburg had reduced its per capita CO2 emissions by 15 percent (in comparison to 1990 emission levels), and the city council set the ambitious target of reducing emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Hamburg is often considered to be a stellar ...