CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY
RESOURCE EFFICIENT CITIES , DRIVERS TO SUSTAINABILITY
ARAB HOBALLAH Chief , Sustainable Lifestyles , Cities and Industry , UNEP
The global community has increasingly realized the importance of and necessity for changing our unsustainable consumption and production patterns if to eradicate poverty and deliver sustainable development . This has resulted in the adoption at Rio + 20 of the 10 Year Framework of Programmes for Sustainable Consumption and Production / SCP , and the inclusion in the set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals / SDGs of a standalone goal on SCP together with related targets in most of the other goals , showing the cross-cutting nature of SCP in support of the sustainable development . Cities are where most of the consumption and production happen today ; with growing urbanization , the importance of city-level actions will be reinforced , making cities primary players to deliver sustainable solutions in the production of goods and enable responsible consumer choices . Delivering SCP through city-level action starts with buildings , the low hanging fruit for energy efficiency and reduction of CO2 emissions .
And it is in this same spirit that the COP21 Paris Agreement has highlighted that sustainable lifestyles and sustainable patterns of consumption and production , with developed countries taking the lead , play an important role in addressing climate change . And this has been reinforced by the organization of a special Buildings Day , to be replicated in subsequent Climate COPs ., and the establishment of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction which seeks to enhance communication and collaboration among various initiatives active in the sector , to provide synergy and joint actions . In applying Sustainable Consumption and Production , cities can be catalysts of sustainable development . The New Urban Agenda , prepared through the ongoing Habitat III process , should provide an opportunity to focus on vertical and horizontal integration and the implementation of the SDGs at the city level . Promoting resource efficiency at city level will increase their economic resilience , contribute to climate mitigation , reduce waste and associated costs , while also improving quality of life ;
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