How cities creating sustainable future for all: mayor of Rio de Janeiro

Cities are where the future happens first, where we create outstanding design, progressive policies, and have significant opportunities to raise the quality of life for more than half of the world's population. But in the context of climate change and resource over-consumption, cities need to be the beacons that demonstrate how human civilization can be maintained and enhanced, said recently Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, also Chair of C40, an inter-cities climate group based in London.

WHY CITIES?

That cities are hubs of innovation has long been understood. But we are now seeing the world's greatest cities increasingly in the global spotlight as leaders in building our collective future.

This is because mayors are taking bold action to create livable, sustainable cities: investing in the environment, while increasing the health, well-being and economic opportunities of their growing populations. Today, cities are building low carbon economies, while ensuring their infrastructure and supporting systems are resilient to the impacts of climate change.

In December 2015, when governments will endeavor to reach a climate accord in Paris, city leaders will be there in solidarity, supporting their national governments, but also showing the world what successful and collective action on climate change looks like for global leaders -- and urban citizens.

ON-THE-GROUND CLIMATE ACTION

Take Lima's "Ciclodia," where, every Sunday, a major city avenue is closed to motorized traffic and more than 20,000 people enjoy a revitalized city on bicycle, skateboard and foot. Here in Rio we have demolished the Perimetral highway in the port zone in favor of a tunnel that will free up the dockside and provide a pedestrian zone and an ideal centre for leisure in the city.

The pedestrianization of Times Square in New York City has proven that people-oriented streets and public spaces are not simply aesthetic or safety improvements. A recent study of the project found that "better streets attract more people and more activity, thus strengthening communities, the businesses that serve them and the city's economy as a whole."

Cities like Bogota, Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg are expanding their bus rapid transit (BRT) systems to include low-income areas through extended routes and services -- and the societal benefits of increasing mobility are as much a priority as the improvements in local air quality.

Johannesburg's new spatial planning initiative, Corridors of Freedom, aims to create a more equitable society through transit-oriented development. The plan will transform entrenched settlement patterns, which have shunted the majority of residents to the outskirts of the city, away from economic opportunities and access to jobs. One of the benefits of reducing the need to travel through mixed-use development and expanding mass transit is that it opens up more areas of the city to be economically dynamic, rather than just relying on a central business district.

In Melbourne, the vision behind the city's district-scale development, Victoria Harbor, is to foster a rich sense of community, in part through a central open space, a community center and library.

Many cities are taking a participatory approach to urban planning, through local polls, neighborhood committees, mobile phone apps, etc., which allows citizens to help define the parameters in which they want to live. Barcelona's Smart City Strategy, Stockholm's Sustainable Jarva program, and "Imagining Austin" are just a few examples of this inclusive approach.

DATA SPEAKS

In all of these examples from our cities, we see sustainable urban development driving social change and greater equality. What is particularly exciting is that their momentum is building, bringing us closer to our vision for the future.

Mayors, through networks such as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), are learning from each other, exchanging ideas and thereby accelerating local action on the ground.

Indeed, our flagship research publication, Climate Action in Megacities V 2.0, showed that C40 cities have nearly doubled the number of climate actions taken since 2011, reducing both greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate risks across key sectors. More recent C40 research showed that these actions have the potential to reduce GHG emissions by nearly 1 gigaton cumulatively by 2020.

This is hopeful news, which matters greatly, because there is no time to waste in taking action on climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calculates that in order to stay below two degrees of warming, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere must peak by about 2050. That means carbon dioxide emissions will have to peak much sooner. In the meantime, the impacts of climate change, such as heat waves, extreme weather and droughts, are already being felt, putting pressure on critical resources such as water.

RESOURCE EFFICIENCY IS KEY

With vital resources becoming only more constrained in the coming decades, resource efficiency is clearly the way forward. This will, or should be, a major theme at COP21 in Paris, and once again we are seeing the solutions being forged in and by cities.

A recent Nature Conservancy report produced in partnership with C40 found that one in four of the world's largest cities are currently water stressed. The growth of urban populations, coupled with sudden climate stress and long-term degradation of watersheds, pose increasing risks to urban water supplies, with serious implications for urban citizens.

The report shows how watershed conservation, also known as "natural infrastructure investment," can be a sustainable and economically-favorable solution.

Indeed, the New Climate Economy Report by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate cites significant economic opportunities in the next five to 10 years for all cities to improve resource efficiency, while generating wider economic benefits, and reducing carbon emissions.

CITIES ON "ROAD TO PARIS"

At the December climate talks in Paris, the global community must pave the way for a zero carbon future. Mayors are doing their part, leading the way by confronting the world as it is, taking pragmatic action on climate change -- but also endeavoring to cut through the politics in the international arena by delivering and demonstrating solutions, data and models for action that can be replicated.

Through initiatives such as the Compact of Mayors, an unprecedented effort to show the collective impact of local climate action, the world's cities are proving that they are key partners to nations in delivering ambitious climate targets.

Today we face critical choices that determine the welfare of future generations. Let us embrace the reality of climate change, and act.