Zakir Hussain September 2012, World Conservation Congress

1. Development of an Evaluation and Certification System for an Environmental Hub Zakir Hussain September 2012, World Conservation Congress

2. Context and Rationale • About a half of the World’s population live in citiesand the number is on the increase. By 2050 this figure is expected exceed 75%; • In Asia and Africa there is unprecedented migration from rural areas to the cities; • City dwellers are thought to be responsible for 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emission; • Expansion of cities consumes valuable agricultural land and green space; • The growing number of city residents puts pressure on energy and water resources, waste management, sewer systems, transport and other necessary amenities; • Causing serious environmental degradation affecting the overall quality of life.

3. Context and Rationale • Many initiatives have been taken in many cities to improve the overall environmental quality and associated facilities; • Amsterdam consumes 146 litres/day of water as against 262 litres in New York and 300 litres in Yokohama; • Oslo emits 2.2 tonnes of CO2per capita as against a US-Canada average of 15 tonnes; • 63% in Europe use green forms of transport to go to work, as opposed to 13% in the USA and Canada • The average concentration of air pollutants in European cities is 50% less than in Asian cities: • Oslo uses 65% of its energy from renewable sources, while in Copenhagen and Berlin use almost 40% less energy other large European cities; • Water leakage in Amsterdam is 4% compared to 35% in major South American cities

4. Approaches and Concepts • Eco-city • Sustainable city • Green city • Environmental hub • Specific city based initiatives

5. Current Examples • There is no universally accepted practice or system for evaluation of environmental hubs. • EIU Survey: Most livable Cities of the World by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Designates most livable cities in the world every year • Parameters used are social stability, infrastructure, education, sprawl, natural assets, connectivity, isolation and pollution

6. Current Examples (contd.) • There is no universally accepted practice or system for evaluation of environmental hubs. • Natural Resources Defense Council’s assessment, which are taking lead in addressing major environmental issues. • Parameters used are air quality, energy production and conservation, green buildings, green space, recycling, transportation, standard of living, water quality and conservation

7. Current Examples (contd.) Mercer Survey A quality of living survey undertaken every year to assist employers in adjusting remuneration of their staff in different cities in the world. Uses 39 parameters under 10 categories such as: • Political • Economic and socio-cultural environments • Medical and health considerations • Educational facilities • Public services including transportation, recreation, consumer goods and housing, etc.

8. Current Examples – City Based Initiatives City Based Initiatives • Large number of instances of city based initiatives • Based on the prevailing situation, objectives and goals, different approaches taken in different cities to achieve environmental sustainability Johannesburg • Mobilises residents in poorer neighbourhoods to participate in greening the city; • Recycling; • Minimising water use, rain water harvesting; • Promoting green energy appliances; • Building environment friendly homes and encouraging green energy solutions; • Encouraging bicycle use together with capacity building; and • Provision for loans and creating job opportunities.

9. Current Examples – City Based Initiatives Curitiba, Brazil • Implementation of plan to integrate urban development, transportation and public health • Proper waste processing facilities • Large scale tree plantation • Linear stretches of urban development surrounded by green space and low density residential areas • Easy access to public transport and car free areas • Ensuring mass civic participation Freiburg, Germany • Attained success through targeting energy efficiency • Use of renewable energy, transportation and adopting new technologies • Extensive network of public transportation and bicycle paths

10. Current Examples – City Based Initiatives Stockholm, Sweden • Re-developing into a eco-city • Efficient transportation • Use of sustainable energy, water and land • Waste treatment • Regulating spread of urban sprawl and improving waste management Singapore • Pursues holistic planning, high density development and green space conservation • Installation of highly efficient water recycling plants and waste to energy plants • Has extensive network of public transport and maintaining private vehicles is expensive • Generates less waste per person in Asia and has a very efficient waste sorting and recycling system

11. Approaches: Creation of an Environmental Hub • Set objectives and goals • Pre- requisites include a well thought out integrated plan and strategy based on: • Natural • the reality on the ground, • financial ability, • political will, • policy and regulatory tools, • civic agreement and participation etc.

12. Planning: Essential Components 1. Land use: ecology friendly land use planning, open space conservation, increase in green area through tree planting, community garden, avoidance of conversion of other land in urbanised area, green land use policies etc 2. Energy use: reduced energy consumption, reduce dependence on non-renewable fuel based energy generation, undertake energy conservation measures, use of renewable energy such as solar, wind turbine and biogas, using energy efficient appliances and efficient energy policies; 3. Water management: Efficiency in overall water use, recycling of waste water, harvesting and use of rain water, maintenance and promoting ground water recharge, use of efficient water gadgets 4. Pollution control: Efficient waste disposal system for solid, liquid and hazardous waste, recycling of waste and use of non-recyclable waste for energy generation, air and noise pollution control, non-smoking public buildings, good pollution control policies and reduction strategies

13. Planning: Essential Components (contd.) 5. Transportation: Primary objective is to reduce dependence on fossil fuel powered vehicles. Extensive framework of public transport powered by non-fossil fuel and/or cleaner fuel, easy access to public transport, facilities for use of bicycles, decent walkways, discourage use of motor vehicles, good network of highways, green vehicle promotion and congestion reduction policies 6. Housing, and other built environment: Consider sustainable sites, energy use efficiency, use of certified materials in construction, improved internal environment, use of renewable energy, energy efficient buildings ,innovation in design, location and awareness among users; green roofing; vertical landscaping 7. Institutions: quality and location of educational institutions, hospitals, recreational areas including parks, nature trails and other public facilities 8. Food production and transport: Efficient transportation of food items from outside the city, promote food production in the cities, appropriate disposal of food wastes. 9. Tourism: Promote tourism which have minimum negative economic, environmental, and social impacts, makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, has minimum scope for pollution and degradation of environment, respects local cultural sensitivity and restricts the number of tourists to a predetermined capacity, provides access for people with disabilities

14. Planning: Essential Components (contd.) 10. Emergency management: Mechanisms in place to handle natural calamities like flood, storms, earth quakes and outbreak of diseases. 11. Maintenance of natural and cultural heritage. Treats the conservation and restoration as top priority, ensures proper maintenance and care of these. limits visit to a number which will not have any adverse impact on the site, does not allow any activity in the surrounding areas, which will have adverse impact on the heritage sites. 12. Public awareness and civic engagement: Create high levels of awareness about the endeavour and its benefits, mobilise public support, civic engagement and participation, promote responsible consumption patterns, ensure acceptance of changes in style of living by the consumer; provisions for incentives for civic participation 13. Governance, policy and legal instruments. Green action plan, Essential political will and commitment, regulatory tools and capacity for the implementation of these are in place, plans and strategies with clear programmes have been formulated for achieving a pre-determined objective have been formulated.

15. Monitoring and Evaluation System • A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system will need to be developed • Structuring a monitoring and evaluation system - Clearly formulate the goal of the establishment of the environmental hub and the outcomes that are intended to be achieved - Establish Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound (SMART) performance indicators - Gather baseline information on the current condition in terms of essential planning components - Set specific targets along with their timeframes - Regularly collect data on progress towards achieving targets, analyse and report the results regularly • For some of the parameters where achievements can be quantified, global standards and guidelines can be used. • For some components, the available certification standards like LEED, ISO, WHO Air Quality guidelines can be used. • In some cases a scoring system could be developed

16. Certification Process There is no globally recognized system to certify a city as an environmental hub, eco-city, green city or sustainable city. Annual Award of Sustainable Cityby World Economic Forum. Criteria are: • Holistic approach - numbers of capital's involved in the initiative • Environmental Capital - Natural Resources • Social Capital - Relations and trust • Human and Intellectual Capital - Innovation and Social Intelligence • Technical and Infra Structural Capital - Transportation and ICT • Culture Capital - Experience • Political Capital - Confidence and Public Trust • Financial Capital - Assets and Money • Objectives for the initiative (long and short term) • Results measured with relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPI) linked to the different capitals and objectives long and short term • Level of innovation for the initiative - describe the uniqueness or why this initiative adds new knowledge regarding more sustainable cities

17. Certification Process Green City Index It seeks to focus attention on the critical issues of urban environmental sustainability by creating an unique tool that helps cities benchmark their performances and share best practices. It measures about 30 indicators across 8-9 categories . These are: • Air Quality • Water • Waste and land use • Transportation • Buildings • Energy • CO2 emission • Environmental Governance

18. Thank you