UNEP/Cities Alliance/ICLEI
report shows how to make cities more liveable,
boost investment and help address climate
change
Bali, Indonesia, 11 December 2007- From the
use of horse-drawn carriages to solve public
transport shortage in Bayamo, Cuba to an emissions
trading scheme in Taiyuan, China, cities around
the world are providing inspiring examples
in the global quest for sustainability and
the fight against climate change.
The report "Liveable Cities: The Benefits
of Urban Environmental Planning", published
by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Cities
Alliance and ICLEI -Local Governments for
Sustainability, showcases 12 examples of cities
around the world.
It explores various options for sustainable
urban development ranging from practical tools
and comprehensive policies to innovative market
mechanisms.
"The report contains many 'take home'
messages- environmental management can boost
city budgets, prove a strong marketing tool
for attracting investors and contribute to
public health and poverty eradication,"
said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive
Director Achim Steiner at the launch of the
report today at the Local Government Climate
Sessions at the UN Climate Conference in Bali,
Indonesia.
"A modern city can only be truly successful
if it can convincingly demonstrate its green
credentials by recognizing its natural assets,
creating efficient water, energy and transport
infrastructure, and protecting its citizens
in the face of present and future impacts
of climate change," he added.
For example, the City of Bayamo in Cuba,
faced with a situation where motorized transport
was available to just 15% of local commuters,
has in 2004 reverted to horse-drawn carriages.
Horse-drawn services now take care of around
40% of local transport needs, demonstrating
that motorized transport is not the only solution
to a public transport problem.
The Municipality of Bohol in the Philippines
has been using the ecoBUDGET© tool, an
environmental management system that incorporates
natural resources and environmental goods
into budgeting cycles, to achieve the twin
objectives of environmental sustainability
and poverty alleviation.
Taiyuan, an industrial city in the coal belt
of northern China, is addressing urban air
quality problem by introducing a city-wide
emissions trading scheme to help reduce sulphur
dioxide (SO2) concentration in the atmosphere.
The report makes a strong case for the environment
as the key asset for cities. For example,
a 2006 survey of professionals working in
Hong Kong revealed that almost four out of
five professionals were thinking of leaving
or new others who have already left because
of the quality of the natural environment,
while 94% ranked it as the top factor in selecting
a place to live.
"Cities today have to be competitive.
They operate in a global marketplace, competing
with other cities and urban settlements around
the world for investment. A city cannot compete,
however, if it cannot offer investors security,
infrastructure and efficiency. Hardly any
city can offer these elements without incorporating
environmental issues into its planning and
management strategies," said Cities Alliance
Manager William Cobbett.
"Today's cities only cover one-third
of the urban area we will have in 2030. That
gives city mayors and planners the opportunity
to influence what kind of cityscape we will
have in the future. At present, city sprawl
is dominating the scene with tripling of space
requirement for every doubling of city population.
With bold leadership we can prevent slum proliferation
and urban sprawl through building denser and
more energy and transport efficient cities
that will curb the negative trend of undermining
the natural resource base the cities are built
upon," he continued.
With an estimated 80% of greenhouse gas emissions
originating in cities and three-quarters of
urban settlements located in coastal areas
at risk from sea-level rise, local governments
are also increasingly involved in global efforts
to address climate change.
"Through initiatives like ICLEI's Cities
for Climate Protection campaign and C40, cities
around the world are taking the lead in cutting
greenhouse gas emissions- some with targets
above and beyond national commitments under
the Kyoto Protocol. Furthermore, climate change
adaptation is top of the agenda for many developing
country cities featured in this report, including
the ancient city of Alexandria in the Nile
Delta, South Africa's coastal jewel of Cape
Town, and Asia's booming megalopolis of Bangkok,"
said ICLEI Secretary-General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann.
Over 65 cities and local governments are
participating in the two-day Local Government
Climate Sessions in Bali. These sessions,
organized by ICLEI in collaboration with UNEP
at UN Climate Conferences since 2005, give
local authorities an opportunity to meaningfully
contribute to the global climate change negotiations,
as well as showcase their climate actions.
"As champions of the climate cause and
centers for innovation, efficiency, investment,
and productivity, cities are posed to play
an increasingly prominent role in the international
climate change debate. It is in cities that
climate and sustainability solutions for more
than half of the humanity will be found,"
concluded UNEP Executive Director Steiner.
The report Liveable Cities: The Benefits
of Urban Environmental Planning can be found
on UNEP's website at www.unep.org/urban_environment/
or on Cities Alliance website at http://www.citiesalliance.org/.
The report was prepared by UNEP's Urban Environment
Unit, Cities Alliance Secretariat and ICLEI
-Local Governments for Sustainability.
At UNEP: Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson
