Will the solution for a sustainable world come from cities?
Bertrand Piccard
Explorer, Psychiatrist, Inspirational speaker, Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation
Faced with the immense challenge that we must collectively meet, cities must imperatively be at the heart of the fight against climate change.
I long believed that international institutions would succeed in overcoming resistance to change from certain large countries. Solving the climate crisis, I thought, would result from decisions made at the highest global level and, in a top-down approach, these choices would end up being embraced by us all. The seriousness and scale of the climate challenge would prompt agreement among key political decision makers on the way forward to reach an ambitious consensus.
Yet, in the past several years, the international summits on environmental protection have proven me wrong. Since the 2015 Paris Accord and the wave of hope it generated, a series of conferences have not achieved the expected results. It now seems obvious to me that we must also seek a solution elsewhere. But where?
Because after all, the situation is quite clear: we imperatively have to put an end to greenhouse gas emissions; stop polluting our oceans, our soil and our atmosphere; decrease our wasting of natural resources; and protect biodiversity from a looming disaster.
Frustrated by the inertia and lack of results of international negotiations, numerous cities have joined stepped up their efforts to promote a more sustainable way of life and displayed a pioneering spirit in terms of fighting climate change. Just like isolated pixels on a screen, multiplying until they shape the image of a desirable future.
Some Belgian cities and regions have also shared their intention to make ecology a top priority. I have recently had the pleasure to begin a collaboration with the City of Brussels that has taken on the Solar Impulse Foundation’s challenge: seeking 1,000 solutions that are financially profitable and protect the environment. We will work together to implement these solutions city-wide and promote innovative Belgian companies world-wide. During the past year, a similar partnership with Wallonia has shown that we are on the right track.
Copenhagen seeks to become the first carbon neutral city in the world by 2025, New York aims to reduce its emissions by 80% during the next 30 years, Paris will forbid the use of diesel vehicles by 2024 and Geneva has banned single-use plastic since 1 January. Going green will thus happen thanks to cities and regions. The municipal and regional levels are closer to citizens and everyday concerns and can truly allow us to implement the required change in our way of life and the development of clean solutions. It’s this local breeding ground that will spawn the required support for the Green Deal that is being courageously launched by the newly appointed European Commission.
Because cities represent today more than half of the world’s population, consume 78 per cent of energy and produce more than 60 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, they have to be on the front lines in the implementation of clean technologies.
Urban systems that make up our cities can make gains in efficiency and sustainability thanks to clean technologies that are already available to us. Today, it’s possible to make our buildings save on energy and water, introduce less polluting modes of transportation, reduce, reuse and recycle our waste, encourage resource sharing, support more local consumption patterns and promote a circular economy.
For centuries, cities have been centres of exchange, trade, culture and innovation and they have witnessed the birth of some of humanity’s greatest ideas. Confronted with the immense challenge that we must take on together, cities imperatively have to be at the heart of the fight against climate change.
This article was originally published in La Libre. Read the original version.
Here Now
4 年Sharing this far and wide!
Directeur chez JP Tel Contrelec Formationus
4 年Notre mère la terre essaie de nous faire comprendre un message Mais il n'y a pas plus sourd que celui qui ne veut pas entendre! Il est des lois physiques simple tout tente à l'équilibre. Nous devons très très rapidement commuter vers une économie nouvelle. Plus proches de tous, plus respectueuse avec les techniques nouvelles à disposition avec la bonne volonté de gens qui dans ce monde en folie Sont prêts malgré tout à commuter c'est possible confiance à des nouveaux concepts des modèles de société Qui ne sont ni le communisme dictatorial. Ni le capitalisme dictatorial avec lequel nous ne suivons que la volonté de grandes sociétés Qui n'ont que l'idée de profit immédiat et pas de vue à long terme Notre libre arbitre existe il faut juste voir et écouter! J.Piguet qui croit en un avenir possible
President – IBSDF International Biospheral Settlements Development Fund
4 年I can not agree with that the cities must or will do something! The cities are not sustainable at all. They hold mankind out from real NATURE in Urbansphere. The next step for the humanity - are the biospheral Settlements. The firstone is being evaluated in Carpathians - The Biopolis! https://bio-settlements.com? Bertrand, me, as the IBSDF President, invite you to join the II International Biospheral Forum.?https://bio-settlements.com/en-ibf.html
Public Affairs / Private-Public Partnership Director France // Associate @ Team for the Planet // Les Shifters Toulouse
4 年Cities will drive changes probably even more faster than we all believe
We all took refuge in nature and we realized in the cities to exchange elaborate and create together. At present the climate is unreasonable through our fault but under the impulse from the Solar Impulse Foundation: "search as you say, 1000 financially profitable solutions to protect the environment". "The ecological transition will therefore take place thanks to cities and regions ... It is from this local soil that the essential support for the Green Deal that the new European Commission courageously launches will be born" .Bertrand Piccard