‘‘More than one-half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, but they are blamed for producing as much as 80% of humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, increasing urbanisation can negatively impact everything from the availability of arable land and vital green spaces to potable water and sanitary waste disposal facilities. It is clear, then, that cities must be part of the solution if an urbanising world is to grapple successfully with ecological challenges such as climate change. This has already started to happen in Europe. According to the UN Population Division, 72% of the continent’s population is urban but the European Environment Agency (EEA) says that its cities and towns account for just 69% of energy use.
But even in environmentally conscious Europe, problems abound. Across the cities profiled in this report, an average of one in three residents drive to work, contributing to increased CO2 emissions and general air pollution. The average proportion of renewable energy consumed is just 7.3%, a long way short of the EU’s stated goal of increasing the share of renewable energy usage to 20% by 2020. Nearly one in four litres of water consumed by cities is lost through leakage. And less than one fifth of overall waste is currently recycled.
To aid efforts and understanding in this field, the European Green City Index seeks to measure and rate the environmental performance of 30 leading European cities both overall and across a range of specific areas. It takes into account 30 individual indicators per city, touching on a wide range of environmental areas, from environmental governance and water consumption to waste management and greenhouse gas emissions. In so doing, it offers a tool to enhance the understanding and decision-making abilities of all those interested in environmental performance, from individual citizens through to leading urban policymakers.’’
eport: http://www.siemens.com/press/pool/de/events/corporate/2009-12-Cop15/European_Green_City_Index.pdf
Urban Governance 