While the urge to write positive stories about solutions to the climate crisis must be strong, and they are needed, Copenhagen should not be one (The five-minute city: inside Denmark’s revolutionary neighbourhood, 10 December). Nordhavn may be a revolutionary neighbourhood, but to say that Copenhagen is a green city is based on false premises.
Near Nordhavn, a massive artificial island, Lynetteholmen, is being built that will wreak havoc on the marine environment and lead to massive amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere, and was approved by dubious means, with only 8% of the city’s population wanting it.
Furthermore, claims that Copenhagen’s centralised district heating helped it reduce emissions by 75% are based on the fact that it imports huge quantities of forest biomass from countries such as Estonia and Latvia, with detrimental effects to their forests and biodiversity, and the idea that burning it is carbon-neutral, which it is not.
The promotion of Copenhagen as a green city is one of the reasons for a large increase in the number of tourists who come here by cruise ship or by plane, both travel forms that can by no means be considered sustainable. There are even plans to expand the airport, with no regard to what that means for the climate or the local population.
And finally, the last small pieces of nature in the Copenhagen area are being destroyed in order to build new houses, again with no regard to what the population wants. So, while Copenhagen is by no means the worst city in the world, one should be careful before describing it as a sustainable city and a role model for others to follow.
Tobias Jespersen
Copenhagen, Denmark
• I live not far from this new part of Copenhagen and, like many others, have witnessed the soulless expansion of the capital – similar to the one I witnessed in London when I lived there in the 1980s. Yes, it’s centrally located, and yes, many now have a pleasant view of the harbour. But the brutalist architecture is completely devoid of any charm, atmosphere, originality or beauty. None of it is sustainable or built to last – it’s cheap, fast building blocks smacked together for a quick profit. I doubt that any of the planners, architects or investors in these projects live there.
Morten Iversen
Copenhagen, Denmark
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
