UNEP and UN-Habitat Greener Cities Partnership

Publication Date: April 2014

Over the past few decades, cities around the world have grown spatially faster than their populations. By some estimates, urban areas now consume 75 per cent of the earth’s natural resources and produce 60 per cent of its greenhouse gas emissions and 50 per cent of its waste.

As cities lose density and intensify sprawl, they lock themselves into unsustainable land use patterns where environmental impacts are greater. Much peri-urban development is now destroying the natural capital that would provide resilience to resource scarcity and climate change, especially for the poorest. Ensuring that future urban growth does not result in further environmental degradation represents one of the biggest development challenges today.

Recognizing the importance of urban issues in the global environmental agenda, UNEP and UN-Habitat have joined forces in a Partnership on Greener Cities, which will focus on three priorities: (1) resilient and resource efficient cities; (2) sustainable transport and mobility; and (3) waste and waste water management.

The Partnership on Greener Cities will be launched through an interactive press conference in the presence of a high-level panel of experts. Following a strategic presentation of the Partnership by the two lead organizations, UNEP and UN- Habitat, the panel of experts will give substantive insights on the three priorities of the Partnership.