How Local Governments Create Resilient Cities
The Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) was established in 2017 when the North American Compact of Mayors and the EU’s Covenant of Mayors merged. This created a network of more than 10,000 cities and local governments from six continents and 139 countries that are working towards “supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and towards a resilient and low-emission economy.”[i] Cities and local governments can register to join the GCoM and by doing so they are committing to implementing and monitoring strategic action plans while making information on their efforts and results publicly available.
Figure 1. GCoM’s six top priorities for national action. See Climate Emergency, Urban Opportunity.
In September of this year the GCoM, as part of a coalition of more than 50 global organizations, released a report titled “Climate Emergency, Urban Opportunity.”[ii] This report was released just before the UN’s Climate Action Summit, and in the midst of worldwide School Strikes for Climate led by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The report “quantifies the social, environmental, and economic benefits available to national governments willing to enable, empower, and invest in zero-carbon cities.” Additionally, the report aims to rebalance the global conversation around cities, underscoring the crucial roles of national and state governments, in partnership with local governments, in shaping cities.
One of the main points made in the report is the fact that, with current technologies and practices, it is feasible for cities across the world to decrease emissions 90% by 2050 from 2010 levels. These emission reductions would primarily come from building electrification and efficiency (58%), followed by transportation (21%), materials efficiency (16%), and waste diversion and reduction (5%). This is an ambitious goal that would require significant capital investment (around $1.83 trillion, or 2% of global GDP annually), but with increasing concern that the planet is headed towards climate catastrophe,[iii] these investments may pale in comparison with the amount that would be spent coping with forthcoming climate impacts. While national-level policies will be key to advancing climate action globally, cities have shown that they can be leaders in making concrete decisions that will make their residents resilient to future climate impacts.
Currently, less than 40% of all countries have an explicit national strategy for cities (in relation to UN Sustainable Development Goal #11 [make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable]). This gap leaves cities and countries vulnerable to risks related to climate change. City governments account for nearly one third of the emissions reduction potential and can significantly influence the actions taken by national governments worldwide.[iv] The report lists six top priorities for national action (Figure 1), with the overarching priority being to “proactively plan for a just transition to zero-carbon cities.” It is imperative for cities to use these strategies to advocate for “ambitious, coordinated climate action.”
The report also features case studies of cities across the world that have made rapid, sustainable transitions that have helped their residents become more resilient towards climate change impacts. One of those cities is Indore, India. Indore was plagued by waste and smog throughout the city, leading to protests by citizens. To combat the growing waste problem, the City took action by now offering twice-daily door-to-door waste collection services, even to citizens living in settlements. Residents pay around $0.86 per month for these services and sort the waste and recycling themselves. The government in Indore has constructed a biogas plant for organic waste which fuels City buses, and also has plans to construct more biogas plants in the future to power more of the City’s bus fleet. Recycled plastic is also sold for use in the construction of roads and buildings in the City. These initiatives are made possible through national legislation called the Swachh Bharat Mission,[v] which has a goal of creating a clean and defecation free India by 2019. There is also national legislation in India which allows cities to borrow money to enact these initiatives. There are some outstanding inclusion problems, which the City is working towards mitigating, but Indore is now an example city in India and across the world for waste management.
Another example of a rapid, sustainable transition is in Seoul, South Korea. After the end of the Korean War, Seoul began to expand rapidly, which led to the expansion of informal developments. This was creating sprawl within Seoul, and the City quickly passed several pieces of legislation aimed at combating sprawl and agglomerating the housing options within the city. By readjusting land and creating a higher density throughout the entire city (17,000 residents per square kilometer) and capitalizing on the construction by redesigning the metro rail system simultaneously, Seoul residents now experience less congestion, well-situated housing options, and lower cost of living. Agglomeration also helps create resiliency in Seoul; sitting just slightly above sea level,[vi] building up rather than out helps prevent infrastructure costs associated with sea level rise. Pairing mitigation strategies with resilience efforts is helping to make Seoul a climate ready city.
At Lotus, we work with many municipal and state clients to help them with rapid, sustainable transitions towards resiliency. Cities throughout Colorado can take the lessons learned from these case studies and can take the strategies provided in this report to make strides toward increasing the sustainability and resiliency of their cities.
[i] https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/about/
[ii] https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Climate-Emergency-Urban-Opportunity-report.pdf
[iii] https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2019
[iv] https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Climate-Emergency-Urban-Opportunity-Briefing-for-mayors.pdf