New UN Habitat report on cities and climate change

UN HABITAT has published its latest report: Global Report on Human Settlements 2011 - Cities and Climate Change

According to the report, the world’s cities are responsible for up to 70% of greenhouse gases while occupying just 2 per cent of its land. What goes on in cities, and how they manage their impact on the environment, lies at the core of the problem. It is the combination of urbanization’s fast pace and the demand for development that poses the major threat.

“Cities are responsible for the majority of our harmful greenhouse gases. But they are also places where the greatest efficiencies can be made. This makes it imperative that we understand the form and content of urbanization so that we can reduce our footprint,” said Joan Clos Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. “Understanding the contribution of cities to climate change will help us intervene at the local level. With better urban planning and greater citizen participation we can make our hot cities cool again.”

Cities and large urban centres are already where most of the world’s population live. By 2030, an estimated 59% of the world’s population will live in urban areas, with developed countries as the most urbanized at 8%. Meanwhile, in developing countries the average is projected to be around 55% by 2030. Every year sees the addition of 67 million new urban dwellers, and 91% of these is added to the populations of cities in developing countries.

The report highlights the major factors that influence the total and per capita CO2 emissions of urban areas:

• A city’s geographic situation — influencing the amount of energy required for heating, cooling and lighting
• Demographics — the size of the population influences the demand for space and services
• Urban form and density — sprawling cities tend to have higher per capita emissions than more compact ones
• The urban economy — types of economic activities and whether these emit large quantities of greenhouse gases
• The wealth and consumption patterns of urban residents

Average per capita emissions in urban areas are still lower than in rural areas (except in the case of China). The report cites a recent study in India showing that the average GHG emissions of the wealthiest 1% of the Indian population are 4.52 tonnes CO2 equivalents per annum, or more than four times as much as the 1.11 tonnes CO2 equivalents per annum generated by the poorest 38% of the population.

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The BBC website covers the report here