The discussion focused on the role of cities as a key driver towards a climate safe and net-zero emissions future
Under the Italian Presidency of the G20, during the first meeting of the Energy Transitions Working Group and the Climate Sustainability Working Group, which took place on 22-23 March 2021, the G20 membership, discussed to accelerate the clean energy transition in order to limit climate change, engaged with the crucial need of advancing towards resilient, smart and sustainable cities as a key driver towards a climate safe and net-zero emissions future, taking into account, at the same time, the diversity and specificity of national and subnational circumstances and the different pathways towards ambitious goals.
Over half the world's population lives in cities today, a figure expected to increase to two thirds by 2050. The UN's New Urban Agenda stresses that urbanisation is a trend posing deep sustainability challenges. From the perspective of climate sustainability and energy transitions, it is crucial to consider that cities represent almost two-thirds of global energy demand and 70% of carbon emissions. Cities exacerbate the world's most serious environmental and socio-economic challenges and expose large population groups to climate related risks such as high temperatures, sea level rise, water scarcity, flooding and storms.
At the same time, cities and vast urban conglomerates are the world's centres of innovation and economic dynamism and they are therefore key to define the path towards a prosperous and climate safe future. With the effects of the current pandemic on cities still unaccounted for, the G20 can act as a forum to enhance the role of cities as strategic laboratories for sustainable growth. This will be key to achieve the climate goals of the Paris agreement and reach an inclusive, climate resilient and net-zero emissions future.
In this context, a greater deployment of Nature based Solutions (NbS) can harness the power of nature to turn environmental, social and economic challenges into innovation and adaptation opportunities, driving sustainable urbanisation. NbS can foster and simplify implementation of adaptation actions in urban landscapes by leveraging the services provided by nature, especially to increase resilience to climate impacts, such as flooding and heat stress, with the added benefit that nature - in contrast to traditional infrastructure – does not rust. The same NbS are increasingly recognized as influential determinants of human health and well-being, in addition to providing tangible mitigation effects through carbon removals by vegetation, as well as reducing the temperature and related energy savings through reduced cooling loads.
Cities will be crucial to the energy transitions process also through a wide range of innovative options, such as the electrification of consumption, mainly driven by renewable sources, sustainable mobility solutions at public and private levels, energy efficiency in buildings and industries, digital-energy technologies, smart grids, tools enabling local energy communities to be at the center of their urban energy system and demand-side solutions, ensuring an equitable distribution of the co-benefits.
In addition, citizens, local communities, indigenous people, youth - if appropriately engaged and empowered – will play an active role in driving the transition to a net-zero emissions future through participatory and behavioural change processes, helping to raise awareness and acceptance of transitions policies.
In this first encounter of the CSWG-ETWG the membership assessed the use of all these key factors in order to reshape our cities to be more resilient, smart, inclusive and sustainable, placing the energy transition at the heart of our endeavour to tackle a net-zero emissions future to limit climate change and reach climate neutrality, contributing to identify recommendations/guidelines for resilient, smart and sustainable energy cities of the future.
Going forward the G20 Italian Presidency will continue to engage the membership around these crucial themes through a series of additional events that will bring greater focus on certain specific components of the sustainable transition in cities:
After having considered in depth the need to foster resilient, smart and sustainable cities in the first meeting, the Energy Transitions and Climate Sustainability working groups will reconvene on the 26th and 27th of April to continue their work in preparation of the July Ministerial meeting.
