INTEGRATING THE ENVIRONMENT IN URBAN PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT KEY APPROACHES FOR CITIES

Transcription

1 INTEGRATING THE ENVIRONMENT IN URBAN PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT KEY APPROACHES FOR CITIES BY CECILIA NJENGA HEAD OF UNEP SUB-REGIONAL OFFICE SOUTH AFRICA

2 TOWARDS URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

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8 RESOURCE SCARCITY IN NUMBERS 1.3 billion people are without access to electricity. 2.5 billion people live without even basic sanitation. 780 million people do not have access to drinking water. Water supply will satisfy only 60% of world demand in 20 years. Over 50% of collected waste in low income countries is disposed of through uncontrolled and unsafe landfills.

9 8 KEY MESSAGES 1. Cities are drivers of change at both local and global levels 2. Integrated approach to resource efficiency optimizes resource use 3. Taking action is cost effective 4. Improved infrastructure achieves greater resource efficiency 5. Innovative finance mechanisms leverage extensive benefits 6. Indicators are key to assess cities environmental performance 7. Peer-to-peer exchanges facilitate access to appropriate policy choices 8. Coordinated coalition of stake holders enables transformative change

10 KEY MESSAGE 1: CITIES ARE DRIVERS OF CHANGE AT BOTH LOCAL AND GLOBAL LEVELS Impact of cities at the global level: Cities occupy 3% of land surface Cities produce 50% of global waste Cities account for 60-80% of global GHG Cities consume 75% of natural resources Cities produce 80% of global GDP Cities consume % of the world s food production

11 CASE STUDY: PORTLAND, OREGON -CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP) Impacts of the CAP as of 2010: 15% decrease in carbon emissions 24 km of bicycle friendly streets 10 to 15% reduction in single passenger vehicle trips 2.6% increase in use of public transport 8% decrease in total waste 19% savings on city s annual energy bill (US$18 million) through installation of solar energy system

12 KEY MESSAGE 2: INTEGRATED APPROACH TO RESOURCE EFFICIENCY OPTIMIZES RESOURCE USE Cities are complex networks of interlocked infrastructures that bring resources in, use resources to provide services, generate wealth, and dispose of waste that is generated by consumption. Policy choices and their integration have critical implications for the future sustainability of cities.

13 CASE STUDY: LINKÖPING, SWEDEN - 100% BIOGAS-FUELLED PUBLIC TRANSPORT Government funding for methane production facility: US$ 183, ,000 tons of waste treated per year 4.7 million m3 upgraded biogas produced per year 5.5 million liters of petrol and diesel replaced by biogas per year Reduction of over 9,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year

14 KEY MESSAGE 3: TAKING ACTION IS COST EFFECTIVE If carefully planned, resource efficient-oriented policies are cost effective and stimulate growth while reducing the environmental impact of cities.

15 EXAMPLES OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS : Public transport jobs account for between 1% and 2% of total employment. Germany: retrofitting program created 150,000 additional full time jobs. NYC: new standards for water heating could generate 120,000 jobs. Chicago: urban trees provide an air cleansing service that is equivalent to US$9.2 million. Long-term benefits are estimated to be more than twice their cost.

16 INVESTMENT AND OPERATING COSTS OF SELECTED GREEN CITY PROJECTS Project Initial Capital Cost (millions USD) Operating Cost (millions USD) Operating Revenue/Savings (millions USD) London congestion charge ,746 Paris Velib 96 (private investment) 4.1 (private) 3.96 (city), 72/year (private) Tokyo water system /year) 16.7 (electricity savings) Sao Paulo waste to energy ( ) (from carbon credit) NYC greener building 80 (city), 16 (fed) - 700/year (residential energy savings) Seoul car-free-day 3-50/year (fuel savings) Curitiba BRT ( ) Bogota CicloRutas ( ) /year (fuel savings) Bogota CicloRutas ( ) /year (fuel savings) Bogota CicloRutas ( ) /year (fuel savings) Investment and operating costs of selected green city projects Bogota CicloRutas ( ) /year (fuel savings)

17 CASE STUDY: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA - CICLOROUTA Benefits and Savings: $US40 million annually saved on decreased fuel costs for the public Annual saving per person: US$ 480 Monthly saving per person US$ 40 GHG emission reductions of 36.6 thousand tons of CO2 over the first seven years Poverty reduction: 23% of the trips made by the lowest income group in the city are pedestrian and by bicycle Health: 335 deaths/year decrease and 8.8% reduced injuries Costs: Studies and initial designs: US$250,000 Construction: US$50 million The direct investment cost per km built is nearly US$ 147,000

18 KEY MESSAGE 4: IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE ACHIEVES GREATER RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

19 SOME EXAMPLES OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS Sector Key facts benefits Building 1/3 of annual energy and material resource consumption. 1/3 of all energy-related (GHG) emissions. 1/3 of all waste results from construction and demolition. Waste 11.2 billion tons of solid waste collected/year. 5% of global GHG emissions. Only 25% of waste is recovered or recycled. Transport 13% of global GHG emissions. 89% of energy use (roads) million fatalities/year. 80% of air pollution. Cost to countries: 10% of the GDP. Consumes over 50% of global liquid fossil fuels. Using proven and commercially available technologies can reduce energy consumption in buildings by 30% to 80%, Job creation in the real estate, building and construction sectors: Investing in the building sector results in green growth and generates capital for other investments Investing in the waste sector decreases landfill demand, reduces GHG emissions, decreases terrestrial and aquatic pollution levels, Recycling and reuse of waste creates jobs: Reduced dependence on the energy sector (i.e. oil and petroleum). Reduced congestion costs. Increased productivity. Reductions in air pollution levels: investment in green transport can reduce GHG emissions by 70%. Creation of employment. Increased access and mobility of the urban citizenry, which can play a major role in overcoming elements of the urban divide. Water, Food, etc

20 CASE STUDY: MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA - AERIAL CABLE-CARS: SOCIAL INCLUSION AND REDUCED EMISSIONS Costs: 1st line: US$24 million - 2nd line: US$47 million. Benefits: Reduction of 121,029 in total CO2 emissions (over 6 years). Security increased (decrease from 381 to 29 homicides /100,000 inhabitants between 1991 and 2006). Poor suburban areas are now connected to the city centre (from over 2h drives to 30min trips).

21 KEY MESSAGE 5: INNOVATIVE FINANCE MECHANISMS LEVERAGE EXTENSIVE BENEFITS It is estimated that an investment in infrastructure of US$41 trillion will be needed by 2030: US$22.6 trillion for water systems, US$9 trillion for energy, US$7.8 trillion for roads and rail infrastructure and US$1.6 trillion for air-and-sea ports. For example, the Copenhagen Accord proposes generating US$ 100 billion per year by 2020 in support of climate change mitigation and adaptation in the developing World.

22 FINANCING MECHANISMS THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS SUCH AS PRIVATE COMPANIES, NGOS OR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS Paris and London bike hire schemes are paid by private companies in exchange for prime advertising spaces throughout the cities. Sao-Paulo biogas landfills provide a locale for the private sector to transform resources into energy, for which the city receives carbon credits. Hong Kong s new urban rail infrastructure costs are covered by the city s principle rail operator, the MTR Corporation, which capitalizes on the real-estate potential of its stations as part of an integrated railproperty development model.

23 CASE STUDY: PHILADELPHIA GREEN CITY, CLEAN WATERS Economic benefits: 250 jobs created per year which don t require qualification Reduction of poverty-related costs due to job creation Green storm-water infrastructure is expected to raise property values by approximately 2% - 5%. Social benefits: 10% more recreational and stream-related visits to parks Increase of up to $390 million in property value of homes near parks and green areas over the next 45 years Health: reduction of over 140 fatalities caused by excessive heat over the next 45 years, and decrease in asthma-related premature deaths Environmental: 1.5 billion lbs. of carbon dioxide emissions avoided or absorbed (equivalent of removing

24 EXAMPLES OF FINANCINF MECHANISMS FOR GREEN CITIES Taxes Cost recovery Cities need to be able to raise local taxes and service charges, as they are the main revenue sources that can be used for public resource efficient city strategies. Cities can introduce user fees for municipal services to help green these services and support the development of more resource efficient alternatives. Land value capturing Micro-financing Profit-making public companies Purchasing tools Carbon credits Financing public transport can be based on integrated transport-property development models. Micro-financing presents an important opportunity for microenterprises to become involved in green city strategies, e.g. recycling developing country cities. It can be advantageous for cities to hold shares in profit making companies, e.g. utilities, to facilitate long-term green investments. Cities can also work together to purchase technologies, thereby bringing down the cost. Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) already pay for a range of green city projects in Bogotá, São Paulo and Dhaka.

25 KEY MESSAGE 6: INDICATORS ARE KEY TO ASSESS CITIES ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE The poor quality of baseline data in many cities makes it difficult to determine their exact level of resource efficiency. Consequently, it is difficult to develop policy actions that address resource efficiency Indicators should be: at the city level. Based on data comparable over time Relevant for policy makers (goal oriented) Simple and easy to monitor

26 CASE STUDY: SIEMENS GREEN CITY INDEX The Green City Indices (GCI) assess and compare the environmental performance of cities at a regional level. Six GC indices have been released so far: Asia (22 cities), Europe (30 cities), Germany, Latin America, the US and Canada (27 cities) and Africa (15 cities). The Index is composed of aggregate scores of all the underlying indicators. About half of the indicators are quantitative and measure how a city currently performs e.g. a city s water leakage or waste production (state and pressure). The remaining qualitative indicators assess policies and plans (response). For example, the greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring indicator assesses whether cities regularly monitor GHG emissions and publish their findings every one to three years. GCI is one of the most comprehensive indexes on energy efficiency, with no less than 14 indicators directly or indirectly related to energy. The other indicators monitor water and waste quantities,air quality (nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide) and clean air policies.

27 KEY MESSAGE 7: PEER-TO-PEER EXCHANGES FACILITATE ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE POLICY CHOICES Cities need practical advice rooted in accessible knowledge from peers to make locally adapted policy changes. Knowledge management and dissemination is essential to accompany a shift to greater resource efficiency. The proliferation of strong city networks including C40, ICLEI, UCLG, Cities Alliance and Metropolis, shows how cities are benefiting from such soft infrastructure. City networks - assist cities in learning from one another through: - direct assistance on the ground with expert consultants; facilitating access to existing solutions; allowing knowledge sharing through events, workshops or peer-to-peer exchanges; and providing access to extensive research on cutting edge issues.

28 UNEP GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOR RESOURCE EFFICIENT CITIES (GI-REC) Launched in June 2012 at the Rio+20 Summit. The initiative works with different stakeholders to promote energy efficient buildings, efficient water use, sustainable waste management and other activities. Aims to support cities in realizing the economic, social and environmental benefits of resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production (SCP). Core activities include: Research Agenda Enabling Framework Network Platform

29 KEY MESSAGE 8: COORDINATED COALITION OF STAKEHOLDERS ENABLES TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE To implement sustainability strategies in cities effectively, there is a critical need for strong governance and participatory processes. Political and institutional backing is required for city-scale transition to resource efficiency.

30 KAMPALA CITY, UGANDA Sustainable Neighborhood in Focus program, targets tons of waste that was produced per day in the targeted neighborhood. 75% of waste in Kampala is organic and originates from vegetable and fruit peels such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, cassava and bananas, with significant consequences for pollution and landfill leachate production

31 CONCLUSION First, the majority of the people on the planet now live in cities - from the current 7 billion to the projected 9.5 billion by 2050 will end up living in African and Asian cities. Secondly, we are entering an era of resource scarcity and constraint where boundless growth strategies that treat resources as abundant have become untenable. Thirdly, we have entered an era of increased uncertainty. Neglecting to take action quickly to shift to greater resource efficiency has severe consequences, as it exposes urban populations to health hazards, poor environmental quality, poverty, and poor urban services (water, waste, transport, etc.).

32 THANK YOU