Speech prepared for delivery at the event ‘Nature within cities and cities within nature’.
In their scale, complexity and beauty, cities show how ingenious humanity can be. But in their impact on the planet, they show how short-sighted we can be. Cities are responsible for up to 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and 75 per cent of resource use. They are where the air pollution that kills millions of people each year hangs most heavy. Twenty-one of the world’s 33 megacities sit in low-lying coastal areas.
In short, cities drive, and are vulnerable to, the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. But the very density that concentrates problems in cities also allows for resource-efficient delivery of services, economies of scale, innovation and integration.
Now, we need to use the ingenuity and industriousness we showed to build our cities to rethink how they work. There are three elements to this.
First, we need to let nature back in.
This means parks, and green roofs and streets, to cool cities naturally, instead of using power-hungry air conditioning.
This means green, blue and hybrid infrastructure that lets nature do its job, boosted through planning, building codes and standards. That means permeable surfaces that capture rainwater to recharge aquifers, rather than sending rain into storm drains and oceans.
This means urban and peri-urban agriculture, to increase food security and bring back biodiversity.
We are seeing such approaches bear fruit across the globe – including in Lisbon, Portugal, where green corridors form part of its biodiversity action plan.
Second, we need to rebalance cities’ relationships with surrounding areas.
Cities will continue to grow, but we cannot let them sprawl and consume more nature, gobbling up our lands and creating ugly and alienating sprawl. We need to think hard about our architecture and infrastructure. Find smarter, collaborative solutions to expansion, densifying, greening, re-thinking mobility, sourcing of critical services and territorial approaches that connect cities with their region.
Third, we need to reduce the pressure on nature.
Cities are major energy and resource consumers, so we need make sure this consumption is sustainable. This means look at everything from food waste to energy-efficient buildings to circular models. Through public procurement, a key lever for change, cities can address their own demand and send strong signals along value chains.
We have the opportunity to put these elements in place. About 75 per cent of the infrastructure that will exist in 2050 is yet to be built, while COVID-19 recovery provides a chance to shift course. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration can serve as a rallying point for restoring nature in cities.
To take this opportunity, we need to boost multi-level governance.
Many cities are doing the right thing, but they need help from national governments. At the moment, urban content is underrepresented in Nationally Determined Contributions. We need to see local content in national strategies.
Equally, if we value nature in city accounting and quantify its benefits, we can unlock finance for the restoration of natural assets and green and hybrid infrastructure. Building business models is also important, which is why UNEP is working on guidance to identify revenue-generating models for nature-based solutions.
Friends,
Urbanization is a fact of life. And, if done right, cities will help us to deliver energy, health services, jobs and so much more to those who lack them. But cities have to work with the natural world, not against it.
If cities can innovate and reinvent themselves now by investing in nature-based solutions, we can slow climate change and biodiversity loss. Provide clean water and air. Stay cool in rising temperatures. Turn the concrete jungles into urban forests, and provide a healthy, equitable and sustainable life to everybody who lives in them.
Thank you.
Executive Director
