Cities account for 75 per cent of the world’s consumption of resources and for 60 to 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (UNEP, 2019). While an additional 2.5 billion people are expected in urban areas by 2050, the Earth’s limited resources challenge the ability of cities to accommodate this growth. To live within the planet’s boundaries, build resilience and improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations, we need to achieve more with less. We need our cities to be resource efficient, biodiversity friendly, climate resilient and equitable.
However, to date, in most cities, we observe a linear system where the resources that enter the city leave it again as waste.
Implementing a circular economy in cities is a way to improve the way we use our resources and reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases in the centres of human consumption. This not only helps to reduce our global environmental footprint, but can also reduce governments spending in the long run and create local business and economic opportunities in cities.
UNEP is actively contributing to this transformative agenda by assisting cities in monitoring their resource use, facilitating knowledge exchange between cities, and building the capacity of local decision-makers to manage resources beyond waste management and across value chains. UNEP’s goal is to help local stakeholders produce, consume and value materials and their environment differently, shaping new ways to live and work.
As part of this initiative, UNEP developed the Circular Jobs Monitor in collaboration with Circle Economy . The Circular Jobs Monitor, provides policymakers, economists and labour organizations with valuable insights into the relationship between circular economy activities and the labor market across economic sectors. Policymakers can use this tool to define sectors for circular strategy development and monitor the progress of circular economy policies on the labor market. Economists, labour organizations and social partners can access data, understand the geographic distribution of circular jobs, align efforts with regional skills needs, and define sectors for scenario modeling.
In 2022, UNEP published a paper called 'Tracking a Circular Economy Transition Through Jobs: Method Development and Application in Two Cities' '. This paper introduces a practical way to measure progress toward a circular economy by focusing on circular economy jobs (CE jobs), using them as an indicator. It analyzes the flow of goods within a city, considering how much the city relies on importing materials for its economic sectors. Collaboration between local and national governments is stressed as crucial for building circular local economies.
Aligned with UNEP's commitment to circularity, the International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC), in Osaka promotes Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) based on circular principles in cities, supporting circular economies through policy advice, technology, capacity building and outreach activities. UNEP remains steadfast in creating a sustainable future through circularity promotion.
