Climate Change & Sustainability of Global Urban Environment

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1 Climate Change & Sustainability of Global Urban Environment Prepared by: Khairul Hisyam Kamarudin, PhD Feb 2016

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3 Cities Contribution to Climate Change We are increasingly interconnected - no city can wall itself off from the consequences of climate change, and no city can prevent catastrophic climate change on its own. KEN LIVINGSTONE Former Mayor of London (2007)

4 Cities are where change is happening the fastest and we must seize the opportunities we have been presented with to make that change significant and permanent. DAVID MILLER Mayor of Toronto (2007) Reasons for Addressing Climate Change at the City Level Cities are an organic form of government and often express the aspirations of their citizens more succinctly and quicker than higher levels of government. When these rising voices are credibly articulated, their global impact is considerable, and growing, as the worldwide response to climate change illustrates. In the United States, for example, 1,017 cities have signed on to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (US Conference of Mayors 2008).

5 Cities are first-responders in a crisis; they are the first to experience trends. For example, many local governments were aware of the 2008 financial crisis six months before national governments provided warnings as waste generation rates and values for recyclables had dropped significantly. Moreover, cities are usually the key agency to implement national government directives.

6 Because of their proximity to the public and their focus on providing day-to-day services, cities tend to be more pragmatic than senior levels of government. National governments may set the rules of the game, but it is cities that are the athletes. For the athletes to play the game, not only is it crucial that they know the rules, but also that their voices and those they represent are incorporated during the formulation of the rules.

7 How Cities Affect Climate Change? Because most economic activity is concentrated in urban areas, cities have a key role in climate change. Affluence and lifestyle choices determine greenhouse gas emissions, and historically developed countries have had greater greenhouse gas emissions than developing countries. The world is urbanizing quickly and under the business-as-usual scenario, greenhouse gas emissions will also increase dramatically.

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13 Urban density and spatial organization are crucial elements that influence energy consumption, especially in transportation and building systems. Urbanization and increased prosperity has happened with urban sprawl and increased demand for land. Although the urban population has doubled, occupied urban land has tripled (Angel 2005). In developed countries, this expansion has been particularly extensive in suburban areas as demand for space increases with income, and land prices are often lower in suburban areas. Increasing density could significantly reduce energy consumption in urban areas.

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15 Urban design and mobility are crucial in CO2 emissions. It is not urbanization alone that increases emissions, but rather how people move about the city, the sprawl of the cities, how people use energy and how buildings are heated and cooled that make the difference in how cities pollute and contribute to climate change. For example, the United States produced 50 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than European countries, which in turn have emissions twice as high as the Asian countries.

16 Countries that rely on private transport use more energy per passenger kilometer than countries with high levels of public and non-motorized transport modes. As density increases, people use more public transportation and non-motorized forms of transport, lowering transportation energy use per capita. Good land use policies can encourage this trend. High per capita energy use for transport in the United States and Western Europe can largely be explained by high incomes; in Middle Eastern countries this can be explained by generous fuel subsidies.

17 Recent research on urban form and density of cities reveals interesting patterns. The Neptis Foundation has produced figures emphasizing the urban form, density and transportation characteristics of 16 world cities. Compact cities, such as Vienna and Madrid, have significantly higher population density and higher public transport use than more sprawling cities, such as Atlanta and Houston.

18 Compact cities are more sustainable than sprawling cities. Urban form is important in determining land and energy use and the cost of infrastructure and municipal services. Denser cities use less energy for transportation, which lower transport-related emissions. They also provide access to services at lower cost and implement more energy efficiency measures emphasizing that cities that are denser produce less emissions.

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20 Cities Have Much to Gain from Embracing the Lowcarbon Agenda Costs of delaying action are very high This is particularly true for rapidly growing cities. Cobenefits are substantial Includes cost savings through increased efficiency, and energy security. A good example is Los Angeles where the city has retrofitted most of its public buildings. In three years, investment costs were recovered by savings in energy bills. Low-carbon emissions and low pollution levels are essential components of the quality of life in cities Cities are also good pilots for action on climate change Cities can promote green growth Through their screening of investments in infrastructure and transport, financial and tax incentives, partnerships, regulation of energy suppliers, increased consumer awareness, and job training

21 Thank you