Turku’s Carbon Sink Strategy

Turku is implementing one of Europe’s most ambitious municipal carbon sink programmes, combining sustainable forestry, peatland restoration, biodiversity protection and renewable energy integration. Anchored in the Climate Plan 2029 and the Forest Management Plan (2019–2029), the city aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2029 and move toward climate positivity thereafter. This work was complemented by the Kuntanielu project (2022-2024), which laid the foundation for municipal-level offsetting and the strengthening of the land use sector’s net carbon sink. By reshaping forest management, restoring degraded ecosystems, and embedding circular economy and citizen participation, Turku shows how a mid-sized city can turn offsetting into a driver of systemic climate transformation.

Disclaimer: Carbon offsetting should only be considered as a last resort for addressing limited amount of residual emissions from hard-to-abate sectors. Local governments should prioritise reducing GHG emissions at the source. Where offsets are applied, projects must uphold strong environmental and social safeguards, support vulnerable communities, promote gender equality, and protect biodiversity, ensuring that climate neutrality efforts contribute to a just and sustainable transition (for more information refer to UTMC Practical Implementation Guide:  Carbon Offsetting).

The city adopted its Forest Management Plan (2019–2029) to guide climate-smart forestry.Turku’s implementation integrates land use, energy, and governance. Key steps include:
 

• Forestry management: Protecting forests over 130 years old, stopping clear-cuts, increasing deadwood retention, and adopting continuous-cover silviculture.
• Logging limits: Restricting to 40% of annual growth (vs. 60% earlier), boosting sequestration while preserving timber revenues.
• Peatland restoration: Rewetting drained peatlands to reduce CO₂ and methane emissions, while restoring wetlands for biodiversity.
• Energy integration: Linking carbon sinks to renewable district heating expansion by non-combustible technologies - Kakola heat pump, solar energy, electric boilers, and waste-heat recovery.
• Monitoring systems: Forest inventory, GIS tools, and climate reporting platforms track sequestration.
• Citizen engagement: Community planting, climate education in schools, and stakeholder Climate Team (150 organizations) embed participation in delivery.
• Phased implementation: Targets are aligned with annual reviews and connected to EU Cities Mission reporting frameworks.

Under the framework of this Plan, the city has also begun new initiatives to expand municipal-level offsetting. Through the Kuntanielu project, Turku is studying and piloting methods to systematically strengthen the land use sector’s net carbon sink. This includes:

• Developing baseline scenarios for municipal land use sinks and emissions.
• Testing new climate actions such as afforestation, peatland restoration, and biodiversity-oriented forestry.
• Establishing a model to engage companies and community groups in joint sink and biodiversity actions, ensuring additionality and credibility.
• Piloting transparent accounting approaches aligned with EU and national systems to avoid double-counting and to prepare for upcoming EU voluntary carbon removal markets.

Together, these actions lay the foundation for integrating land use sinks more systematically into Turku’s climate neutrality pathway.

Turku’s backbone of success relies on strong collaborations to expand capacity and legitimacy:

• ICLEI / Circular Turku: International peer learning and circular economy integration.
• Climate-KIC & NetZeroCities: Funding and support for pilot projects like the “1.5-Degree City.”
• Turku Energia & private partners: Renewable energy projects (heat pumps, solar parks, industrial waste heat).
• Universities & research institutes: Technical expertise on sequestration, biodiversity, and monitoring.
• Community & NGOs: Tree planting, awareness raising, climate literacy initiatives.

Turku has expanded its climate and nature collaboration through the Kuntanielu project, partnering with the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), other municipalities, and NGOs. The Turku Urban Research Programme strengthens this work by connecting the city with the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University for research and knowledge exchange. Alongside research partnerships, Turku is piloting co-created initiatives with businesses and community groups. A key example is its collaboration with Turku Energia, which planted over 10,000 tree seedlings in 2021–2022 to increase carbon sinks, enhance biodiversity, and provide summer jobs for young people.

Turku invests in open communication and participatory learning to engage citizens as co-creators of climate neutrality:

• City’s webpage, map service, and Climate Reports make climate data public and actionable.
• 1.5-Degree City project fosters mindset shifts across society.
• Climate ambassadors in schools and forest-based education strengthen awareness among youth.
• Visible initiatives (bee routes, car-free areas, box-bike sharing) make climate action tangible.

Funding climate action at scale:

• €1.7 billion climate-supportive investments (2025–2030) across energy, mobility, and land use.
• €150 million EIB loan (2019–2022) for energy-efficient housing and infrastructure.
• Annual climate budgeting aligns municipal spending with neutrality goals.
• EU and national grants co-finance restoration and monitoring initiatives.

Measurable progress toward neutrality and beyond:

• District heating now 89% renewable, saving €30 million annually for citizens.
• Emissions per capita reduced to 1.9 tCO₂e (2024), on track for 0.6 tCO₂e by 2029.
• Biodiversity gains from restored wetlands and older-growth forest protection.
• Increased resilience to flooding and heat via rewetting and ecosystem services.
• Broad citizen participation, with 150+ partners in the Climate Team.

Difficulties faced along the way:

• Policy gaps: National frameworks for municipal offsetting remain incomplete.
• Forestry paradox: Finland’s national forests became net emitters in 2021, undermining local efforts.
• Revenue vs. sequestration: Managing reduced timber harvest while sustaining municipal finances.
• Technical challenges: High cost and complexity of long-term carbon monitoring.
• Behavioral inertia: Transport and consumption patterns remain hard to shift.

Turku shows how cities can turn land resources into strategic assets for climate neutrality. Through sustainable forestry, peatland restoration, renewable energy, circular economy actions and citizen engagement, the city has built an integrated approach that others can replicate.

The Kuntanielu project was especially important, providing a framework for baseline assessments, pilot actions and transparent monitoring in the land-use sector. It also introduced a practical municipal–business model that allows companies to support local climate and biodiversity work without double-counting risks.

Turku’s strategy is reinforced by strong political leadership, clear long-term targets and visible co-benefits. Gains in biodiversity, public health, recreation and household savings make climate action tangible for residents. Partnerships with universities, businesses, NGOs and international networks expand expertise and resources, while active citizen participation ensures legitimacy and long-term support.

Key lessons from Turku include:

• Political leadership and long-term targets drive momentum.
• Biodiversity and economic co-benefits build public trust.
• Partnerships expand technical capacity and funding.
• Citizen engagement secures ownership and continuity.

Turku demonstrates that offsetting can evolve into a driver of systemic transformation, resilience and community confidence.

• Turku Climate Plans and Reports
• Circular Turku Roadmap (ICLEI)
• Turku: Changing Mindsets for a Climate-Positive city (NetZeroCities)
• Turku Forest Management Plan (Planet Company summary)
• Kuntanielu project – Land Use Strategies for Climate Action and Biodiversity (Turku Urban Research Programme & Kuntanielu project)
• UTMC Practical Implementation Guide: Carbon offsetting

Miika Meretoja
Senior Specialist
City of Turku
miika.meretoja@turku.fi