GEO for Cities - Towards Green and Just Cities
Publication year
Resource type
UNCCD Library
Material Type
Book
GEO for Cities aims to inform, engage and support dialogue among decision makers and other actors involved in urban issues. The GEO-6 report identified urbanization as one of five main drivers of environmental change and also looked at the impact on cities and city residents of related challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. The GEO for Cities looks at these issues but also presents the types of solutions that can lead to environmentally sustainable and just cities.
The GEO for Cities process is led by two co-chairs, guided by an Advisory Committee of organizations focused on urban and environment solutions (ICLEI, C40, Cities Alliance, IIED, ODI, IIHS, GCSE), has been drafted by around 20 expert authors and supported by the GEO Secretariat.
The environmental and urban challenges outlined in this report require urgent and sustained attention from everyone involved in building or managing cities. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, we must make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and environmentally sustainable. UNEP, UN-Habitat, the GEO for Cities Advisory Committee, its co-chairs and the expert authors hope that this report will lead to the urgent action needed for cities to become the beacons of environmental excellence that help their citizens lead productive, prosperous and equitable lives. Enjoy and take action!
The report points out that while cities of the Global North have contributed most to climate change and biodiversity loss, they have the resources to adapt to some of their consequences, while the Global South bears the brunt of the impact. To drive progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, the report calls for more support to cities in the Global South for climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.
“Cities across sub-Saharan Africa will continue to face a range of climate-related challenges over the coming decades, along with resource depletion and socioeconomic inequalities. Some of these will undermine our ability to address the impacts of climate change and rapid urbanization,” said Maria-Helena Jose Correia Langa, Mayor of Mandlakazi, Mozambique, and co-ordinating lead author of the first chapter. “Systemic efforts in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation must be enhanced by community engagement in the planning process, including women and youth.”
Many cities are already taking concrete positive steps. 30 cities that are part of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group reportedly curbed emissions by 22 per cent on average by 2019. Berlin, London and Madrid have lowered emissions by 30 per cent and Copenhagen has reached 61 per cent. In Argentina, Rosario combined informal settlements rehabilitation with a low-emission strategic plan and an Urban Agriculture Programme to achieve multiple benefits. Achieving such transformations at a deep scale continues to be an ambition for future cities in the years to come.
The GEO for Cities process is led by two co-chairs, guided by an Advisory Committee of organizations focused on urban and environment solutions (ICLEI, C40, Cities Alliance, IIED, ODI, IIHS, GCSE), has been drafted by around 20 expert authors and supported by the GEO Secretariat.
The environmental and urban challenges outlined in this report require urgent and sustained attention from everyone involved in building or managing cities. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, we must make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and environmentally sustainable. UNEP, UN-Habitat, the GEO for Cities Advisory Committee, its co-chairs and the expert authors hope that this report will lead to the urgent action needed for cities to become the beacons of environmental excellence that help their citizens lead productive, prosperous and equitable lives. Enjoy and take action!
The report points out that while cities of the Global North have contributed most to climate change and biodiversity loss, they have the resources to adapt to some of their consequences, while the Global South bears the brunt of the impact. To drive progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, the report calls for more support to cities in the Global South for climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.
“Cities across sub-Saharan Africa will continue to face a range of climate-related challenges over the coming decades, along with resource depletion and socioeconomic inequalities. Some of these will undermine our ability to address the impacts of climate change and rapid urbanization,” said Maria-Helena Jose Correia Langa, Mayor of Mandlakazi, Mozambique, and co-ordinating lead author of the first chapter. “Systemic efforts in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation must be enhanced by community engagement in the planning process, including women and youth.”
Many cities are already taking concrete positive steps. 30 cities that are part of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group reportedly curbed emissions by 22 per cent on average by 2019. Berlin, London and Madrid have lowered emissions by 30 per cent and Copenhagen has reached 61 per cent. In Argentina, Rosario combined informal settlements rehabilitation with a low-emission strategic plan and an Urban Agriculture Programme to achieve multiple benefits. Achieving such transformations at a deep scale continues to be an ambition for future cities in the years to come.
Keywords
air pollution
urbanization
sustainability
human health impacts
green growth
disaster risk reduction