Nick Michell looks at how the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, through its Zero Emissions Cities project, is striving to develop an approach to get cities onto a zero-emissions pathway
Urban areas consume over 70 percent of the world’s energy and contribute 70 to 80 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Rapid urbanisation will further increase GHG emissions, which is why many city authorities around the world are making ambitious commitments to reduce their emissions over the coming decades.
By working closely with city governments and key solution providers across sectors, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) Zero Emissions Cities (ZEC) partners are developing roadmaps to effectively transform city energy systems towards zero emissions and identify catalytic opportunities to drive implementation.
“When it comes to climate change, cities are key actors,” says Roland Hunziker, Director of the Sustainable Cities project, WBCSD. “Cities need to work together with businesses to solve complex problems, and this requires good management. Business can bring innovative solutions, nance and implementation capabilities. The ZEC initiative aims to show the importance of collaboration in tackling difficult challenges and provide models for new ways of working.”
For this initiative a consortium of solution providers collaborates with city officials and local stakeholders focusing on energy infrastructure, buildings, smart mobility/logistics and green infrastructure to maintain biodiversity and provide ecosystem services.
Under the umbrella of its ZEC project, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and its member companies Accenture, Arcadis, DNV GL, ENGIE, Schneider Electric, and UPS have joined forces with the municipality of Amsterdam and local partners including Amsterdam ArenA, TNO and ING to develop an implementation strategy for selected zero emissions energy initiatives in Amsterdam Zuidoost. The partnership engages stakeholders to develop concrete actions towards achieving a shared zero emissions cities vision.
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