Cities key to reduction of carbon emissions and sustainable use of resources according to UN-HABITAT's new State of the World's Cities Report 2008/9: Harmonious Cities
With the urban population of the world set to escalate over the next few decades, it has become even more important to understand the role of cities in the area of climate change and in producing carbon emissions. As it is, cities generate a disproportionate share of a nations' gross domestic product which typically translates into high levels of energy consumption for industrial processes compared to non-urban areas.
Though, it is a well known fact that North America with a GDP per capita of US $28,910 and 5.2 per cent of the global population, contributes 13.7 per cent of the global emissions in 2000, the rise of newly urbanizing countries such as China, and India make it even more critical to understand the contribution of cities to climate change. After all, North America, the European Union, Russia, China and India now contribute approximately 61 per cent of global emissions.
In 2007, China surpassed the United States as the leading emitter or greenhouse gases. This increase has been attributed mainly to increase in coal consumption and industrial processes. Chinese cities, such as Shanghai, for instance, produce almost twice the emissions of Tokyo or Seoul. China's emissions are also significantly higher than those of India, and reflect consumption patterns that have accompanied rapid economic growth and industrialization patterns that rely heavily on fossil fuel consumption.
See full Press Release, in pdf format.
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