As Davos conference comes to an end, let’s look at an #DavosAgenda item – life and economics of life in the city.
The city – where more and more of us live, and where children in particular grow up with both opportunities of resources as well as the blunt realities of being separated from nature. Those blunt realities come (and from ) with huge emissions…. see ‘Decarbonising Cities’ below…. Sometimes seen, often invisible, always arguably deadly long term.
As well, perhaps more ‘obvious’ impacts such as light pollution….
Around the globe, in both developed and developing nations, Earth’s night skies are being filled with artificial light more and more each year, according to a new study.
When broken down by country, the results show that in many developing nations, the increases in artificial lighting are well above the global average, as more people gain access to electricity and outdoor lighting equipment for highways, city centers and residential areas. [Photos: Light Pollution Around the World]
But even in many developed nations, the output of artificial light may be increasing as well, despite some regional efforts to curb it, the study shows. Light pollution has many side effects, including disrupting the circadian rhythms of plants, animals and humans.
( source- https://www.space.com/38872-light-pollution-increasing-globally.html )
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From the We forum : Across the globe, cities account for nearly two-thirds of the CO2 emissions that are causing our planet’s looming climate crisis. Skyscrapers, shopping malls, SUVs, air conditioners – throughout the globe, homes, buildings, and transportation in cities consume a vast amount of high CO2 content energy. Right now, just over half the population lives in cities, but that is projected to rise to 68% by 2050 – resulting in even higher energy consumption (currently 78% of the world’s primary energy) and carbon emissions.
Decarbonizing cities – how to harmonize buildings, mobility and infrastructure
Why is it so important to decarbonize cities? And how can we do it?
The first question is easy to answer: The cities in which more than half of us live account for nearly two-thirds of the CO2 emissions that lie at the root of our planet’s looming climate crisis. Skyscrapers in megalopolises, shopping malls, SUVs in the streets, air conditioners in a growing number of places throughout the globe – all consume a vast amount of high CO2-content energy.
The answer to the second question is to take an integrated approach: leveraging clean electrification and digital technology to harmonize urban energy systems, while also thinking beyond individual projects to consider their impact within the surrounding communities and the built environment.
In fact, urban energy, transport and building infrastructures are gradually becoming greener: There are more electric vehicles on city streets, better water treatment and recycling schemes, and more solar panels on rooftops around the globe. According to International Energy Agency estimates, renewables like solar and wind are set to become the largest source of electricity generation worldwide by 2025, supplying one-third of the world’s electricity and ending coal’s decades-long dominance of the global power mix.
More including full article- https://blog.se.com/energy-management-energy-efficiency/2021/01/20/decarbonizing-cities/
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So what…. cities and their inhabitants- that’s more and more of the world’s population- are having to face ‘urban challenges’ . Amongst environmental groups, IUCN the World Conservation Union seeks to help out…..
The IUCN Urban Alliance envisages nature thriving in urban areas and providing solutions to multiple social, economic and environmental challenges. Pursuant to this vision, it has three objectives:
- Create a platform for debate and knowledge exchange on urban dimensions of nature conservation;
- Catalyse new projects and partnerships for greener cities; and
- Develop an ‘Urban Nature Index’ for monitoring the ecological performance of cities.
- More information at Iucn Urban Alliance
