We live in a rapidly urbanizing world. Today, around half of the world's population - or an estimated 3.3 billion people - live in metropolitan areas. In China alone, every year 20 million people move into cities. This global trend is projected to continue as people move from rural areas to cities in search of better jobs and living standards, or - in the parlance of human development - look to expand their choices in terms of income and access to better health, education services and infrastructure. Chinese Version>>
With rapid urban expansion also come major environmental challenges. The
ecological footprint of cities has traditionally been characterized by
inefficient and unsustainable resource use, along with concentrated pollution
and excessive waste generation. Environmental degradation can be severe, as more
and more people concentrate in a limited area and compete for scarce resources.
Climate change threatens to further exacerbate the negative environmental
outcomes.
Such trends pose a great danger to future generations. These
challenges, however, can be tackled, provided that public and private concerns
come together around urban development models based on achieving a better
equilibrium between economic growth and social and environmental needs.
Addressing environmental degradation and improving the way natural
resources are distributed and used is a beginning. Investment is needed in clean
air and water, health, waste management and noise pollution.
We also
need to ensure that local leaders have the knowledge and tools to make the right
decisions, and bring climate change considerations and adaptation into the
center of all development planning and strategies, including urban ones. Many of
the most important decisions related to climate change are taken at the local
and regional levels. It is estimated that the decisions of regional and local
governments influence between 50 to 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Regional and local actors can expedite meaningful, integrated and innovative
action.
In hosting Expo 2010, China can send very encouraging signals to
the rest of the world. China has good examples of environmentally sound city
management, and it has the opportunity to use lessons learned and thereby avoid
the mistakes of the past two centuries of industrial development.
Expo
2010 can put the spotlight on how Shanghai - a city of over 20 million people,
one of the major urban and economic centers of Asia, and a symbol of cultural
vibrancy and dynamism in business - could become a compelling model for a green
city and advocate for a new paradigm of low-carbon urban life and
development.
Shanghai has forged an environmental strategy encompassing
six sectors: water, air, noise, solid waste, radiation and ecology conservation.
It has set energy efficiency targets for sounder growth patterns. It has
launched the "Environmentally Friendly City" initiative, supported by UNDP
China. This is a comprehensive framework for monitoring and tracking
environmental performance, incorporating environmental concerns into the city's
decision-making processes, promoting public awareness and establishing a
platform of exchange between other cities, as well as engaging the private
sector.
World Expo 2010 is a great opportunity to demonstrate low-carbon
urban development practices, and show that economic growth, prosperity and
wellbeing can be compatible with sustainable urban development. The potential
gains are tremendous, as are the numbers of city dwellers who stand to benefit
from them.
UNDP, together with development partners around the world,
aims to promote a "Green New Deal" for sustainable development. Together we can
promote the know-how and the best practices from many countries. We can help to
build knowledge and transform it into new ideas for better urban living. UNDP
will also be looking to take the initiatives showcased and ideas born in
Shanghai to other places where they could help.
Let us therefore join
hands to promote World Expo 2010 as a turning point toward a greener and more
sustainable urban future. I wish the city of Shanghai a most successful World
Expo 2010.