Subtheme B: Environmental Sustainability
"Traditional development patterns have pushed our planet towards its natural boundaries. Environmental
sustainability is essential for safeguarding the world’s ecosystems and for building a peaceful and equitable
world.”
- Helen Clark, UN Development Programme
Sustainable Development Goals Pertaining to this Subthemei
Goal 2.
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3.
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 6.
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7.
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 9.
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster
innovation
Goal 11.
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 13.
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Note: For all bolded words, please see “Key Terms”
Introduction
Rapid, unplanned and unsustainable patterns of urban development are making developing cities focal points
for many emerging environment and health hazards. As urban populations grow, the quality of the urban
environment will play an increasingly important role in public health with respect to issues ranging from solid
waste disposal, provision of safe water and sanitation, and injury prevention, to the interface between urban
poverty, environment and health.ii
By 2050, about 70 per cent of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas and over 60 per cent of
the land projected to become urban by 2030 is yet to be built. If done right, urbanization can help deliver a
sustainable future. On an individual level, city dwellers have a lower environmental impact than suburban
dwellers. However, the dense populations cause huge stresses to the natural environment.
With the world urban population estimated to increase from 3.5 billion today to 6.2 billion in 2050, urbanization
poses both a challenge and an opportunity to sustainable development. Urban areas are faced with problems of
unsustainable geographical expansion patterns; ineffective urban planning, governance and financing systems;
inefficient resource use; poverty, inequalities and slums; as well as inadequate delivery of basic services such as
water, power, and sanitation.
The process of urbanization can increase production capacities, income levels, and living standards; especially in
developing countries. However, this requires a shift in mind-set away from viewing urbanization as a problem,
towards viewing urbanization as an opportunity to promote sustainable development.
The Outcome Document of the Rio+20 Conference also highlighted the potential of cities, recognizing that if
cities were well planned and developed, including through integrated planning and management approaches,
they could promote economically, socially and environmentally sustainable societies.
Integrated approaches to sustainable urbanization target multiple MDGs and allow for the strengthening of
synergies between efforts to achieve different goals, such as health, education, water and sanitation, maternal
and child health, empowerment of women and environmental sustainability.
Addressing sustainable urbanization would entail the consideration of its economic, social and environmental
implications and connections and it would require collective action by a wide range of stakeholders, including
Governments, the UN system, private enterprises, civil society and communities.
Problem 1: Air Quality
Many cities are “enveloped in dirty air” that is dangerous to breathe, the United Nations World Health
Organization (WHO) said in a 2014 reportiii, warning that urban dwellers are being exposed to excessive air
pollution and are at a risk of respiratory diseases and other long-term health problems.
In most cities where there is enough data to compare the situation today with previous years, air pollution is
getting worse. Many factors contribute to this increase, including reliance on fossil fuels such as coal fired power
plants, dependence on private transport motor vehicles, inefficient use of energy in buildings, and the use of
biomass for cooking and heating.
The United Nations health agency reported in April 2015 that air pollution across Europe is costing “a
staggering” $1.6 trillion a year in deaths and diseases, which amounts to nearly one tenth of the region’s gross
domestic product.iv
Urban air pollution is linked to up to 1 million premature deaths and 1 million pre-native deaths each year.
Urban air pollution is estimated to cost approximately 2% of GDP in developed countries and 5% in developing
countries.v Rapid urbanization has resulted in increasing urban air pollution in major cities, especially in
developing countries. Over 90% of air pollution in cities in these countries is attributed to vehicle emissions
brought about by high number of older vehicles coupled with poor vehicle maintenance, inadequate
infrastructure and low fuel quality.
While most developed countries have put in measures to reduce vehicle emissions, in terms of fuel quality and
vehicle emission reduction technologies, these measures are yet to be adopted in most cities in developing
countries.
Key Facts:
- Even if you can’t see air pollution, it can still be present.
- Half of the urban population being monitored is exposed to air pollution that is at least 2.5 times higher
than the levels WHO recommendsvi
- Only 12% of the people living in cities [reporting on air quality] reside in cities where air complies with
WHO air quality guideline levels.
- Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health. By reducing air pollution levels, countries can
reduce the burden of disease from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute
respiratory diseases, including asthma.
- The lower the levels of air pollution, the better the cardiovascular and respiratory health of the
population will be, both long- and short-term.vii
Success Story:
Pollinate Energy: Clean Energy for India’s Urban Communities
In the slums of Bangalore, children cannot do their homework after the sun sets. Families use polluting kerosene
lamps, and the fuel eats up a significant percentage of their humble incomes. Pollinate Energy trains members of
the local community in Bangalore, India, to distribute and install solar lighting systems as micro-entrepreneurs,
or what the organization calls “Pollinators.”
These Pollinators are armed with the best solar systems on the market and sell them to families within their
communities. Pollinate Energy also volunteers to train local people from the urban communities to sell solar
lights in slums, thereby creating new distribution channels and overcoming the challenge of getting renewable
energy into the slums. This gives communities access to cheaper, renewable energy, providing alternatives to
the expensive and toxic kerosene lamps that many of them use, and it gives community members the
opportunity to earn extra income through a micro-entrepreneurship programme. So far, over 10,000 urban poor
living in Bangalore’s slum communities have been provided with solar systems. Transitioning from kerosene to
solar has saved more than 40,000 litres of kerosene and 100,000 kilograms of carbon emissions to date.
Learn more: pollinateenergy.org
Problem 2- Water and Sanitation
“Urbanization brings opportunities for more efficient water management and improved access to drinking water
and sanitation. At the same time, problems are often magnified in cities, and are currently outpacing our ability
to devise solutions."
- Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General
Two main challenges related to water are affecting the sustainability of human urban settlements: the lack of
access to safe water and sanitation, and increasing water-related disasters such as floods and droughts. These
problems have enormous consequences on human health and well-being, safety, the environment, economic
growth and development. The lack of adequate water and sanitation facilities leads to health issues such as
diarrhea, malaria and cholera outbreaks.
Though water supply and sanitation coverage increased between 1990 and 2008, the growth of the world's
urban populations jeopardizes those results. While between 1990 and 2008 1052 million urban dwellers gained
access to improved drinking water and 813 million to improved sanitation, the urban population in that period
grew by 1089 million people.viii
Urban population gaining access to improved drinking-water
compared to urban population growth 1990-2008
Figure 2 - Increase in the use of drinkingwater resources is barely keeping up with the
urban population growth
Urban population gaining access to improved sanitation
compared to urban population growth 1990-2008
Figure 2 - Major progress in the use of
improved sanitation is undermined by
population growth
From an urban perspective, and especially in the developing world, challenges related to water and sanitation
will magnify in the future due to an ever growing city population needing to share already insufficient and poorly
managed resources. Urban water distribution and sanitation systems are all too often derelict and unable to
cope with the growing demographics, and many of the urban poor tend to be excluded from these services
anyway. Paradoxically, low-income urban dwellers have to pay high prices for water, sometimes up to 50 times
the price paid by higher income groups.
Key Facts:
 About 90 percent of sewage and 70 percent of industrial wastes in developing countries are discharged
into watercourses without treatment, often polluting the usable water supply.
 Of all the water on Earth, freshwater makes up only about 2.5 per cent of the total volume, according to
the UN Environment Programme
 The daily drinking water requirement per person is 2-4 litres, but it takes 2000 to 5000 litres of water to
produce one person's daily food
 The average U.S. citizen uses about 380 liters to 670 liters of water at home every day. The average
African family uses about 20 liters of water each day.
 It takes 1000-3000 litres of water to produce one kilo of rice
 16,000 litres of water is needed to produce one kilogram of beef ix
 Every day, 2 million tons of human waste are disposed of in water courses
 Between 1991 and 2000 over 665,000 people died in 2,557 natural disasters of which 90 percent were
water-related events.
Success Story:
Community Engagement Drives Progress in the Spicket River Revitalization Project
Lawrence, MA has a land area of just seven square miles and an urban community of 72,000 residents.
The Greenway initiative is reversing decades of environmental injustices impacting poor neighborhoods along
the Spicket by: helping to end decades of illegal dumping and polluting; removing 100 tons of debris and over
2,000 abandoned tires from its banks; transforming vacant lots and brownfields along to safe and healthy open
spaces and parks; reducing chronic flooding; and
creating recreational opportunities on a healthier river.
“We have thousands of ardent stewards who have been working with us for over a decade to
clean the river banks and streambed. These same residents and youths are the best assurance for the
long-term care of the Greenway and will continue to care for the Spicket River Greenway for decades
to come.” —Heather McMann, Executive Director of Groundwork Lawrence
The initiative serves as a catalyst for revitalizing the historic mill district, as well as economic and community
development throughout Lawrence
Learn more: http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/rtca/whatwedo/gw_lawrence.pdf
Problem 3- Climate Change
“We live in an increasingly water insecure world where demand often outstrips supply and where water quality
often fails to meet minimum standards. Under current trends, future demands for water will not be met.
Although seemingly abundant, only a tiny amount of the water on our planet is easily available as freshwater.”
- Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General
Climate change is a global phenomenon. As temperatures rise around the world, sea levels will also rise. This
will, in turn, increase the number of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and storms, and will cause
the spread of diseases. In addition to the threat that faces major coastal cities, climate change may also
negatively impact infrastructure and worsen access to basic urban services and housing, threaten human
livelihoods, and reduce the quality of life in cities.
In December 2015, the world’s governments will have to adopt a new global agreement on climate change. The
196 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will have to agree on the
rules for a new climate change mitigation and adaptation regime for the post-2020 period.
The stakes could not be higher. The 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) is likely to be the last opportunity to
get a global deal on climate change that makes it possible to limit the increase in mean surface temperature
below 2°C compared to its pre-industrial level. The 2°C limit has been the political goal of countries global
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction efforts since COP16 of the UNFCCC in Cancun, Mexico. But so far, the
world remains dangerously far away from any realistic 2°C emissions reduction plan. Yet, the risks of a
temperature increase exceeding 2°C are enormous.x
The challenge therefore is to link climate change to local environmental and other developmental priorities. On
the supply side, there are strategies that make certain alternative sources of energy more attractive to users
than fossil fuels. On the demand side, a better planned city with reduced urban sprawl, greener buildings, and
better public transport can reduce a city’s carbon footprint while at the same time providing a better quality of
life for its citizens and an environment that is more attractive for business.
Key Facts:
- Cities cover less than 2 per cent of the
earth’s surface, cities consume 78 per
cent of the world’s energy
- Cities produce more than 60% of all
carbon dioxide and significant amounts
of other greenhouse gas emissions,
mainly through energy generation,
vehicles, industry, and biomass use.xi
- 400,000 deaths worldwide are linked
to climate change each year, with a
projected increase to over 600,000
deaths per year by 2030xii
Figure 3 Number of Deaths Attributed to Climate Change in 2010 and
Projected for 2030 - DARA
Success Story:
Asiye eTafuleni, an NGO in Durban South Africa, works with informal recyclers in the inner city to promote their
legitimacy and build dignity. They do this by facilitating organization of the recyclers, designing carts to facilitate
the collection of recyclables, giving recyclers uniforms to improve their presentation, and running a Friends of
the Recyclers Program which aims to improve the relationship between recyclers and businesses.
The project has been successful in increasing the recyclers' weekly income, improving co-operation among
recyclers, and lifting their ability to interact with other members of the public. In the next phase of the project,
Asiye eTafuleni will be working with the recyclers to identify public space issues and designing creative
infrastructure solutions to help integrate the informal recyclers into the city.
As Asiye eTafuleni advocates participatory methods, the project began with an initial research phase where
cardboard collectors in the Durban inner-city were interviewed to find out about their experiences and
challenges as informal recyclers. Based on these interviews, different trolleys were designed and tested by
recyclers for the transport of cardboard material. In order to improve the image of the recyclers, the recyclers
were provided with identification cards and uniforms. In addition a "Friends of the Recyclers" programme was
implemented to enhance the relationships between business and the recyclers. This has resulted in recyclers
having access to more cardboard from businesses and has helped to increase their income and dignity in the
inner-city.
Around the world, informal recyclers provide a valuable service to cities, by collecting recyclable waste and
selling it on to recycling businesses. They therefore improve recycling rates and help to reduce the amount of
waste that goes to landfill in cities. However informal recyclers are often seen in a negative light by society and
government authorities. Asiye eTafuleni has worked hard to improve the image of the recyclers by engaging
with businesses and local government and widely publicising the project.
Learn more: http://sustainablecities.net/index.php/our-work/sustainability-projects/where-we-work/africatag/item/20-durban-informal-recylers-project
Key Terms
Urban: Agglomerations of 2 500 or more inhabitants, generally having population densities of 1 000 persons per
square mile or more (400 persons per square kilometer or more).
Urbanization: process by which a large number of people becomes permanently concentrated in relatively small
areas, forming cities.
Sanitation: Safe collection and disposal of human excreta (faeces and urine) and the management of solid
wastes (household trash, industrial waste, etc)
Air Pollution: There are many components of air pollutions, both gaseous and solid. However, high
concentrations of small and fine particulate pollution is particularly associated with high numbers of deaths
from heart disease and stroke, as well as respiratory illnesses and cancers. Measurement of fine particulate
matter of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter (PM2.5) is considered to be the best indicator of the level of
health risks from air pollution.
Safe Water: Water free from micro-organisms, chemical substances and radiological hazards that constitute a
threat to a person's health. Measures of drinking-water safety are usually defined by national and/or local
standards for drinking-water quality. The World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for drinking-water
quality provide a basis for the development of national standards that, if properly implemented, will ensure the
safety of drinking-water.
Sustainable Development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs.
Clean Air: Air that is clear and unpolluted. Clean air is essential to maintaining the delicate balance of life on this
planet — not just for humans, but wildlife, vegetation, water and soil.
Climate Change: is a change in the typical or average weather of a region or city. This could be a change in a
region's average annual rainfall, for example. Or it could be a change in a city's average temperature for a given
month or season.
INDCs: The Intended Nationally Determined Contributions refer to individual countries developing their own
goals. An example might be covering things like environmental responsibility in business. This is a huge
environmental problem.
Additional Resources:
UNEP:
http://www.unep.org/urban_environment/issues/index.asp
Climate Change - http://www.unep.org/urban_environment/issues/climate_change.asp
Air Pollution - http://www.unep.org/urban_environment/issues/urban_air.asp
Sustainable, efficient cities - www.unep.org/urban_environment/PDFs/SustainableResourceEfficientCities_summary.pdf
UN Habitat - http://unhabitat.org/urban-themes/climate-change/
UNICEF - Progress report on Sanitation and Drinking Water http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/177752/1/9789241509145_eng.pdf?ua=1
World Health Organization:
Water, health and ecosystems
Climate change
Urban growth chart - http://www.who.int/kobe_centre/measuring/WUP_2014/en/
Ambient (outdoor) air pollution in cities database 2014 http://www.who.int/phe/health_topics/outdoorair/databases/cities/en/
Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Thematic Groups - http://unsdsn.org/what-we-do/thematic-groups/
Air Quality and Atmospheric Pollution In the Arab Region - www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd14/escwaRIM_bp1.pdf
Water for Life Decade - http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/index.shtml
UN and Climate Change Success Stories - http://www.un.org/climatechange/success-stories-2/
Sustainable Cities Initiative - http://unsdsn.org/what-we-do/solution-initiatives/sustainable-cities-initiative/
Successful urban sustainability projects - http://sustainablecities.net/our-work/sustainability-projects/wherewe-work/africa-tag/item/2-sci-african-urban-sustainability-program
UN Habitat - The State of African Cities - http://unhabitat.org/the-state-of-african-cities-2014/
RIO 2012 Issues Briefs – Sustainable Cities http://www.uncsd2012.org/content/documents/217Issues%20Brief%20No%205%20Sustainable%20Cities%20FI
NAL.pdf
i
Sustainable development goals. Retrieved from http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/focussdgs.html
- http://www.who.int/heli/risks/urban/urbanenv/en/
iii
‘Enveloped in dirty air’, most cities fail to meet UN agency’s new pollution guidelines – May 7, 2014 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47740#.VaW6QPmGN-8
iv
Air pollution in Europe costs $1.6 trillion a year in deaths and diseases, UN study shows http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=50716&Kw1=Air+pollution&Kw2=&Kw3=#.VaXAl_mGN-8
v
http://www.unep.org/urban_environment/Issues/urban_air.asp
vi
Air quality deteriorating in many of the world’s cities - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air-quality/en/
vii
WHO Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health Fact sheet N°313 Updated March 2014 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/
viii
Progress on Sanitation and Drinking-Water: update 2010. WHO/UNICEF JMP. 2010.
ix
http://www.ifad.org/english/water/key.htm
x
Sustainable Development Solutions Network - http://unsdsn.org/what-we-do/climate-change/towards-a-climate-agreement/
xi
http://unhabitat.org/urban-themes/climate-change/
xii
Climate Vulnerable Forum DARA - http://www.daraint.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CVM2-Low.pdf
ii