[INFORMATIVE] Urban Cities' Efforts at Sustainability

Urban Cities' Efforts at Sustainability

By Lane Allert

You may ask, what really is a sustainable city? A sustainable city is one in which the city can provide what is needed for its population as well as future generations, while also being conscious of the environment regarding its social, economic, and environmental impacts.

At the Paris Agreement in December 2015, 196 countries signed to overall reduce global temperatures, with one of the aims being to shift to eventually being carbon neutral. Many countries have begun this ambitious worldwide task. Let’s look and see what some major cities have already succeeded in doing to achieve a more sustainable future.

London
In its efforts to be net zero by 2050, London has aimed high in regards to its energy usage and overall emission output. For example, London aims to use renewable energy sources for 25% of the city’s needs and have zero pollution by 2030. Furthermore, environmentally, the numerous trees and plants allow for cleaner air. Additionally, there are hundreds of miles of bike lanes across London, a £12.50 charge for cars entering the ULEZ (ultra-low emission zone) into Greater London, a C-charge (congestion charge), and a very connected system of public transport. As a result of the C-charge. All of these contribute to reducing the amount of emissions and have been very effective in doing so. For example, according to the UN, public transportation can reduce around 2 million tonnes of carbon emissions per person per year. In addition to this, 40% of Greater London is green spaces, ranging from parks, such as the iconic Regent’s Park, providing many advantages. For one thing, it provides habitats for wildlife to prosper, while also allowing a green space for leisure, therefore increasing quality of life. Moreover, trees and plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as well as store it, therefore helping to mitigate climate change.

Tokyo
Tokyo hopes to be a leading country as a model for sustainability. With the same goal of being net zero by 2050, Tokyo has implemented many effective solutions to create a more sustainable city- good for the environment, and good for the people. With Tokyo being a major tourist city, with around 25 million visitors in 2023, sustainable practices in hotels have become a focus for some hotels. For example, the Imperial Hotel has implemented many practices that have significantly decreased waste management. Food is pre-ordered by guests rather than a buffet style, thereby decreasing the energy needed, while also decreasing waste caused by the food that is not eaten every morning. Besides decreasing emissions, it also is economically sustainable, so all in all is a very successful implementation. Moreover, Tokyo wants to promote the use of electric and zero-emission vehicles. One way Tokyo is doing this is by giving out subsidies from $5,200 to $20,500 depending on the type of electric vehicle, therefore incentivizing citizens to switch to more environmentally friendly vehicles, as well as being aligned with Tokyo’s goal to have all zero-emission vehicles by 2050.


Copenhagen
Copenhagen is arguably one of the most sustainable cities in the world. The capital already uses almost 70% renewable sources of energy, with its main ones being wind and biomass. Additionally, it is one of the most accessible cities for pedestrians and cyclists, with almost half of people biking to school or work every day already, therefore drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting a healthy lifestyle that also increases quality of life. Bikes even outnumber cars! To further reduce emissions, they aim to implement a country-wide ban on cars with ICE (internal combustion engines), so that it might encourage people to use more sustainable ways to travel or to buy more environmentally friendly electric cars instead. Adding on to all of these initiatives, Copenhagen has a very efficient waste management program, in which household wastewater can be filtered and turned into biogas, which in turn can be used to power public transport and every other energy needs that the city requires.

These cities and many others have shown their dedication and commitment to a more sustainable tomorrow and the immense successes they have achieved. There is still a long way to go, but these efforts show the importance of the contribution of everyone, who is all in it together to play their part in accomplishing what the Paris Agreement set out to do. Therefore, it is not just up to the cities, it is up to us too. Whether it be recycling, shopping locally, or using public transport, we all have a part to play.

So, what can you do today to live your life more sustainably?


Works Cited
Green City Times. (2023, November 3). Green City: London, United Kingdom | Green City Times. https://www.greencitytimes.com/london/ Accessed 29 August 2024.

Green City Times. (2023, November 9). Green City: Copenhagen, Denmark | Green City Times. https://www.greencitytimes.com/copenhagen/ Accessed 29 August 2024.

Japan Electric Vehicles. (2022, April 10). International Trade Administration | Trade.gov. https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/japan-electric-vehicles Accessed 31 August 2024.

Sustainability in Copenhagen. (n.d.). Wonderful Copenhagen. https://www.wonderfulcopenhagen.com/wonderful-copenhagen/international-press/sustainability-copenhagen Accessed 29 August 2024.

TOKYO’S NEW Sustainability | Sustainable | Tokyo Tokyo Official website. (n.d.). https://tokyotokyo.jp/article/sustainability1/ Accessed 29 August 2024.

United Nations. (n.d.). Transportation | United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/actnow/transport Accessed 30 August 2024.