Stockholm environmentalist tour

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, has been a forerunner in the environmentalist movement and sustainable development.

Understand
Sweden has had a prominent role in the natural sciences since the 18th century, with Carl Linnaeus founding systematic biology, and Anders Celsius inventing the 100-degree temperature scale. In 1896, physicist Svante Arrhenius described the greenhouse effect. Since 1901, Stockholm hosts the Nobel Prize ceremony. The rise of Nordic nationalism in the 19th century included appreciation of nature and outdoor life as a pastime; and the sparse population allowed the right to roam. Naturvårdsverket (the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency) was founded in 1967, as the first of its kind.

With vast distances, Sweden has had a love story with the automobile (see driving in Sweden), famous for Volvo, Saab and Scania. While Swedish cars and trucks have traditionally been heavier and thirstier than other European brands, the makers are now pioneering fuel efficiency and electric engines. Stockholm was redeveloped during the 1960s with an extensive system of highways and sprawling suburbs, brought to a halt in the early 1970s with a rising environmentalist movement, as well as the 1973 oil crisis. Since the 2010s, car lanes and parking lots have been reduced to make room for cyclists and pedestrians.

Sweden has close to zero domestic fossil fuel deposits (except peat) and has been phasing out coal and oil for strategic reasons already since the 1970s oil crisis. As the climate agenda has become important, Sweden has a realistic aim for a carbon-free economy. Still, motorways are expanded around the outskirts of Stockholm, many of them underground, with some controversy over continued pollution, fossil dependency and suburban sprawl.

Stockholm, just as other large cities, used to be troubled by sewage well into the mid-20th century, and later by industrial pollution and vehicle emissions. Today the air is famously clean, and the water in lake Mälaren is good enough to drink.

Get in
While Stockholm has several airports nearby, a greener approach would be a train from Oslo or Copenhagen; see Rail and bus travel in Sweden. Trains from west and south make a glorious entry to Stockholm, across bridges with an astounding view of Lake Mälaren.

Stockholm can also be reached by sailing boat through Stockholm archipelago; see boating in the Baltic Sea.

Get around
Public transport in Stockholm is run by SL. Since 2018, all buses are fossil-free.

Urban cycling is a good method to get around Stockholm, at least when weather is decently warm; see Cycling in Sweden. The bicycle lane system has been expanded during the 2010s. The city has had a bike rental system as well as electric scooter operators; as of 2020 their outlook is uncertain.

Cars are subject to congestion tax, and some parts of the inner city require Euro 5 or higher emission standard (see Driving in Sweden). Taxis are rather expensive, and do not follow a fixed price. Driving in Stockholm is rarely necessary, in any case.

Norra Djurgården
Djurgården literally means "animal yard" and was Royal hunting grounds, partially enclosed. Hjorthagen is a neighborhood named by the Royal deer enclosure. Parts of the fence remains, and occasional stray animals, including deer, can be seen.



Go next

 * Älvkarleby has one of Sweden's oldest hydroelectric power plants, built for Stockholm's power supply.
 * Stockholm history tour from the Viking Age to present day.
 * Södermalm heights tour; the greatest views from the city's oldest and simplest buildings
 * Stockholm quay palace tour; the best of Nordic architecture