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WHD CONCEPT NOTE CONCEPT NOTE

Addressing a meeting of Mayors convened by
C40 cities on 16 April 2021, the UN Secretary-General said:

“Cities are also on the frontlines of the climate crisis. More than half a billion urban residents already
face rising sea levels and more frequent or severe storms. By mid-century more than 3.3 billion
urban residents could be at risk from severe climate impacts. Cities also have an outsize carbon
footprint. With just over half the global population, they emit more than 70% of global greenhouse
gases. The COVID-19 pandemic is a global catastrophe. But investment in recovery is a generational
opportunity to put climate action, clean energy and sustainable development at the heart of cities’
strategies and policies. How we design power generation, transport and buildings in cities – how we
design the cities themselves - will be decisive in getting on track to achieve the Paris Agreement and
the Sustainable Development Goals. We need a revolution in urban planning and in urban mobility:
including better fuel efficiency; zero emission vehicles; and shifts toward walking, cycling, public
transport, and shorter commutes. Cities stand to gain most from phasing out coal: clean air; green
outdoor spaces; healthier people.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, at the Meeting with
leading mayors supported by C40 Cities, 16 April 2021.

This is an improvement in September 2019, rallies side to reduce overall energy
cent by 2050 using technically feasible, widely
Rapid advances in technologies and the falling
from previous estimates 120 countries, 708 cities, 24 consumption and to meet the
available mitigation measures (figure 3). This
cost of renewable sources of energy have
but will still miss the Paris regions, 2,360 businesses, Paris Agreement goals. Cities,
means that city actions can potentially reduce
resulted in a shift to renewables as a source
Agreement targets and result 163 large investors, and 624 the main centre of energy
of energy. It is estimated that two-thirds of
global emissions by over 70 per cent. This
in potentially catastrophic Higher Education Institutions demand, must lead the Race
the global population live in countries where
potential reduction can be achieved through
impacts on human settlements in the largest ever alliance to Zero.
a combination of measures that target the
renewable sources are more competitive than
and ecosystems. committed to achieving net
It has been estimated that
zero carbon emissions by 2050
energy generated from conventional fuels. Such urban form in expanding cities as well as the
This scenario led to a global at the latest - representing GHG emissions from cities
gains on the supply side must be matched by
buildings, transport, material efficiency and
campaign to rally diverse almost a quarter of global can be reduced by almost
action on the demand side to reduce overall
waste management sectors. Urban planning
urban actors including carbon dioxide emissions 90 per cent by 2050 using
can steer urban growth towards low carbon
energy consumption and to meet the Paris
companies, cities, regions and over half of the world’s technically feasible, widely
institutions
available mitigation measures
and Agreement goals. Cities, the main centre of urban development through advancing climate-
financial
GDP. Rapid advances in
energy demand, must lead the Race to Zero.
friendly urban forms (compact, mixed land-use
being launched on World technologies and the falling (figure 3). This means that city
and connected and accessible cities) geared
It has been estimated that GHG emissions
Environment Day 2020 to cost of renewable sources actions can potentially reduce
towards reducing vehicular trips and instead,
“take rigorous and immediate of energy have resulted in a global emissions by over 70 per
from cities can be reduced by almost 90 per
encouraging the use of non-motorized transport
action to halve global shift to renewables as a source cent. This potential reduction
such as walking and cycling.
emissions by 2030 and deliver of energy. It is estimated can be achieved through a
5%
a healthier, fairer zero carbon that two-thirds of the global combination of measures
Waste Sector

Public and green areas play a key role as carbon
world in time: the ‘Race to population live in countries that target the urban form
16%
sinks, in regulating temperature and reducing
Zero’ campaign”. This global where renewable sources are in expanding cities as well
Materials
urban heat-island effects. Simultaneously,
campaign, which reinforces more competitive than energy as the buildings, transport,
measures can be taken to improve access
the objectives of the Climate generated from conventional material efficiency and waste
to basic services while reducing their carbon
Ambition Alliance launched fuels. Such gains on the management sectors. Urban
footprint. These could include better water
at the UN Secretary-General’s supply side must be matched planning can steer urban
demand management, waste-water treatment
Climate Action Summit by action on the demand growth towards low carbon
21% 58% through nature based solutions, better municipal
Transport Sector Buildings Sector waste management and material recovery,
uptake of micro-grids, renewable energy and
44 HUDCO-HSMI Publication net-metering, retrofitting buildings to improve
their energy efficiency, promoting a transition to
shared and public transport and the uptake of
Figure 3: Sectoral breakdown of technically feasible and available mitigation electric mobility.
measures to achieve a 90% greenhouse gas emission reduction. Source: UN-Habitat
3