Urban regions constitute 80% global GDP & 75% emission: WEF

NEW DELHI: Cities account for 80 per cent of global GDP, but they also account for 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, stated a new paper by World Economic Forum. Integrating nature-friendly solutions can help communities protect themselves from the increased hazards of extreme weather while also promoting long-term economic growth. The World Economic Forum’s ‘BiodiverCities by 2030’ initiative produced a paper in partnership with the Alexander von Humboldt Institute and the Colombian government, addressing the urgency of cities’ unsustainable connection with wildlife.

The initiative’s purpose is to reverse this existential worldwide threat by implementing a plan that would see cities and the environment coexist in harmony by the end of the decade.

The study is a call to action for multiple stakeholders to work together to incorporate nature as infrastructure into the built environment. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for infrastructure and land-sparing are found to be cost-effective solutions for cities to innovate and tackle contemporary difficulties while establishing the economic case for BiodiverCities.

Spending $583 billion on NbS for infrastructure and interventions that return land to nature could result in the creation of more than 59 million employment by 2030, including 21 million jobs dedicated to restoring and safeguarding natural ecosystems.

“Urban development and environmental health are like oil and water in the conventional paradigm,” said Akanksha Khatri, Head of Nature and Biodiversity, World Economic Forum.

“This report demonstrates that this is not the case. The backbone of urban development can be nature. We can promote circumstances for people’s health, the environment, and the economy in metropolitan areas by seeing cities as living systems.”

Cities can harness the benefits of nature by rewarding investments in natural capital, according to the paper. NbS are 50 per cent more cost-effective on average than man-made equivalents and provide 28 per cent more added value. As a result of this capitalisation, nature-positive attitudes are instilled and nurtured, and bio-inspired ideas are fostered, ultimately improving economic competitiveness and prosperity.

“As cities plan for the post-pandemic future, they must prioritise providing a more equitable and prosperous quality of life for their citizens by protecting their natural resources,” said Mauricio Rodas, Former Mayor, Quito, Ecuador, and Co-Chair, Global Commission on BiodiverCities by 2030. “We give actionable strategies to mend the link between cities and nature in this paper. All parties must contribute to the protection of urban nature.”

“Cities don’t have to be concrete jungles in battle with nature both inside and outside their borders,” stated Jo da Silva, Global Sustainable Development Leader, Arup. There should be locations where everyone and nature may coexist and prosper.