CITIES UN CLIMATE ACTION 2019

CITIES & LOCAL COMMUNITIES UN CLIMATE ACTION 2019 & 2020

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UN Action Portfolios - In order to ensure that the transformative actions in the real economy are as impactful as possible, the UN Secretary-General has prioritized six action portfolios, which are recognized as having high potential to curb greenhouse gas emissions and increased global action on adaptation and resilience. He has in our view omitted one of the most important issues being corruption in politics, sloth and kleptocratic empire building, though this may be a matter of interpretation.

Cities and Local Action: Advancing mitigation and resilience at urban and local levels, with a focus on new commitments on low-emission buildings, mass transport and urban infrastructure; and resilience for the urban poor.

City living should be more efficient if housing units are smaller flats. The problem with that is the limited opportunities for energy self sufficiency from congestion, the concentrated emissions that lead to smogs and transport infrastructure that is not geared to electric motoring, bikes or rickshaws.

Local authorities fight shy of low cost, low emission buildings. For the most part they don't understand adaptation, being creatures of habit furnishing large mortgages themselves, with payments to feed based on business as usual.

It would thus be alien to push for sustainable housing, where all of their contractor mates are out to make as much money from plot sizes as they can squeeze.

It can truly be said that planning departments are anything but forward planners. They are part of the problem.

UN CLIMATE ACTION PORTFOLIOS

1. Finance
2. Energy Transition
3. Industry Transition
4. Nature-Based Solutions
5. Cities and Local Action
6. Resilience and Adaptation
7. Mitigation Strategy
8. Youth Engagement & Public Mobilization
9. Social and Political Drivers

Global emissions are reaching record levels and show no sign of peaking. The last four years were the four hottest on record, and winter temperatures in the Arctic have risen by 3°C since 1990. Sea levels are rising, coral reefs are dying for ocean acidification, and we are starting to see the life-threatening impact of climate change on health, through air pollution, heatwaves and risks to food security.

CLIMATE CHANGE  COP HISTORY

DESERTIFICATION COP HISTORY

BIODIVERSITY COP HISTORY

OUR SIX STEPS TOWARD A COOLER PLANET

1. TRANSPORT: Phase out polluting vehicles. Government aims to end the sale of new petrol, and diesel vehicles by 2040 but have no infrastructure plan to support such ambition. Marine transport can be carbon neutral.

2. RENEWABLES:  Renewable energy should replace carbon-based fuels (coal, oil and gas) in our electricity, heating and transport.

3. HOUSING: On site micro or macro generation is the best option, starting with new build homes.

4. AGRICULTURE: We need trees to absorb carbon emissions from a growing population, flying, and to build new homes. Reducing food waste and promoting less energy intensive eating habits such as no meat Mondays.

5. INDUSTRY: Factories should be aiming for solar heating and onsite renewable energy generation.

6. POLITICS: - National governing bodies need to adopt policies to eliminate administrative wastages, to include scaling down spending on war machines, educating the public and supporting sustainable social policies that mesh with other cultures. Curbing kleptocratic councils.

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