Invest in quality of life improvements that support climate action, the rest will follow
Climate advocates have rightly focused attention on cities as the missing link to keep temperature rise below 2 degrees while developing resilience strategies in the face of certain climatic change. Important international initiatives like C40-Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, the Global Covenant of Mayors, and 100 Resilient Cities, have all pushed forward this important agenda. Climate leaders such as Michael Bloomberg, the UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate; Christiana Figueres, former UNFCCC head and now Vice Chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors; and European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič adding the weight of the EC. These heavy hitters give an all important boost to the issue, encouraging policy makers and municipal leaders to push for real climate action at the city level. Important advances are being made, led by courageous city leaders who understand that the future well-being of cities depends on their ability to create the conditions today for livable urban environments tomorrow.
Development banks, foundations, climate and environmental NGOs have successfully called attention to the role that cities play in combating global climate change
Cities represent an estimated 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and in light of the United States’ intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, these efforts are invaluable.
City dwellers are, however, mainly concerned with their day-to-day challenges: reduced traffic congestion, lower energy bills, better and more effective water and waste management.
Responding to the objectives of international initiatives and city dwellers need not be mutually exclusive.
Developing a common communications strategy can be leveraged to ensure optimal outcomes for both.
But a wave of the climate flag alone won’t provide the momentum to get these projects across the finish line. And it is not clear that city leaders can sell the massive investments in energy efficiency, transport, water conservation or waste management solely on the basis of their climate merits. After all it is local residents, business and enterprise that will be called on to foot the bills, and while climate must remain the headline, weaving that message into a parallel one that focuses on quality of life, improved job prospects and reduced environmental impacts will strengthen the proposal.
These global initiatives respond to an urgent threat facing us, but cities and climate advocates must look for ways to better tailor these messages in order to ensure they resonate with populations in the developing cities of Lima, Addis Ababa or even in developed economic centers like Paris, San Francisco or Seoul. What follows is a look at some of these messaging efforts and the alternating emphasis that has been placed on climate and quality of life associated with urban investments.
Motorway conversion to walkable green space - Paris
Last year, Paris permanently closed a major traffic thoroughfare and has since begun a transformation promising expanded green public space along the Seine. The closure of the 3.3 km riverside motorway eliminates a major thoroughfare for an estimated 43,000 cars that travelled the route daily. From the start the messaging around the project focused on the expansion of public recreational space combined with a strong emphasis on improved air quality. So far monitoring indicates a reduction in pollution along the Seine, but this is combined with a pollution spike in those areas where commuters converge to enter and exit the city. Road transport is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions in any major city and it is difficult to say if this closure will reduce C02 emissions without a corresponding improvement in alternative transport options. In this instance the driver behind the Mayor’s decisive action was first and foremost improved air quality and an expansion of green space for Parisians. This clearly resonated politically and was followed by other commitments, including a decision echoed by three other capital cities to phase out diesel cars from city centers by 2025. While opposition parties, strong in the outer Paris suburbs and home to many commuters, have made a strong show of opposition to the road closure move, at the moment the transformation along the Seine, to walkways, green space and cafes, continues apace.
Boosting organics recycling towards zero waste goals - Buenos Aires
Like many megacities, Buenos Aires is faced with limited landfill space and few options for citing new ones. The cost of disposal at the landfills currently serving the city makes the alternative cost of waste treatment attractive. This situation and a strong political message has permitted the launch of household organic waste collection that is more commonly associated with European cities or urban areas on the west coast of the US. Organic waste disposal in the city is estimated at 30% of total waste generated, which offers the city a potentially big return in its efforts to reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill. This effort is combined with a parallel initiative that works to reduce food waste as a strategy that links efforts to combat hunger locally. To ensure the success of this effort the city has placed a strong emphasis on securing public participation through public outreach via its extensive network of Puntos Verdes or Green Points - a series of waste collection outlets located throughout the city designed to offer information on waste disposal, also serving as recycling collection stations. While this focus on organic waste serves a practical purpose, to reduce the costly use of landfill space and alleviate hunger, reducing the amount of organics also reduces city methane emissions from landfills, a very potent greenhouse gas.
Low-cost public transit in a megacity choking on traffic - Jakarta
Jakarta is a city with traffic. A huge understatement for those that have spent two to three hours getting to the nearby airport during peak hours. Jakarta’s inhabitants live with this reality and the 240 new cars added to the mix each day lead only to increased congestion. The city has made attempts to deal with the challenge, often supported by international donors like Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UN Environment. The result has led to investment in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), the system pioneered in Latin American cities, as well as a more recent decision to develop Indonesia’s first metro system. While it could be years before trains are running, BRT is functioning for the past 14 years and holds the distinction of being the world’s largest system in operation. However, overall ridership numbers are down since its launch over a decade ago, something largely attributed to poor management, irregular schedules and overall poor service.
While focusing on management lapses alone offers one perspective, it can be argued that another inherent weakness is the divergence in objectives between international agencies and the needs of the daily riders the system was destined to serve. In a follow-up evaluation to the GEF investment, a UN reviewer observed, “Attention to better meeting travel needs of existing users would have likely resulted in increased GHG reductions but more importantly resulted in improved welfare outcomes for Jakarta’s travelers through reduced travel times and improved trip time reliability.”
Meeting in the middle: GHG emissions or improved quality of life?
City leaders balance multiple priorities and serve many. Elected mayors report to their citizens and popular mayors deliver on the results that matter to constituents. At the same time, we live in cities where priorities ebb and flow just as do the demands of our lives. When we consider our most basic expectations of city life, it often boils down to: a fast and easy commute, reliable trash collection and water supply, clean and well-lit streets, all at a reasonable cost. This is the expected norm in many developed countries but not all of these expectations are met. In developing countries the expectations are similar but the reality is often different. Traffic gridlock, poor air-quality, intermittent power and water supply, poor or irregular trash collection, are often the norm.
This doesn’t mean that local leaders in developing world cities are less committed to improving the lives of their constituents. The objective for all cities should be to build consensus for meaningful change that supports the investments required and that will result in better outcomes. The challenge comes in developing a sound argument that resonates with the public, and links directly to solutions that lead to better urban life with reduced environmental and climate impacts. This implies short-term trade-offs resulting in disruption of familiar routines, in return for medium and longer-term quality of life improvements.
International climate initiatives are led from places like London, Brussels, New York and Washington, DC, and are essential to focusing attention on the important role cities must play to meet climate challenges. At the same time the needs of city dwellers must be at the heart of all city initiatives. The objectives of any initiative must consider the day to day of local inhabitants as they get up in the morning faced with a gridlocked commute, seeking rest in the shade of a tree filled park, or simply hoping for affordable access to water that doesn’t require carrying it long distances.
By getting on the same page, global city-focused initiatives and citizens can create a winning combination that mutually reinforces climate goals with initiatives that improve quality of life. The simplicity of this message is very powerful. Through a focus on city action that leads to improved quality of life and also supports climate action, the uninitiated will become advocates, leading to even greater change.
THINKCities is a consultancy focused on climate, sustainability and better solutions for urban life. Please contact Chris Godlove to learn more about our work with cities and the organizations and initiatives that support them: www.thinkcities.eu
