Group8_A | SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Topic: SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
Group8_A | SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Introduction to the SDG
The Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs) were adopted as a universal call for action in 2015 to put an end to poverty, disease (especially AIDS), and discrimination (e.g., against women and children) and to move towards a sustainable future. They are also referred to as Global Goals, and all 193 members of the UN have adopted them to ensure that every person living on the planet enjoys peace and prosperity by 2030. The 17 SDGs are not separate but integrated, keeping in mind that actions are taken in one dimension also affect others to balance socio-economic and environmental sustainability.[1]
The 11th goal is directed at building safe, sustainable cities and communities. As per data collected in 2018, around 4.2 billion people (~55%) live in urban areas, and the number is expected to touch 6.5 billion (~2/3rd) by 2030. With this boom in urban population, slums are also increasing rapidly; thus, there is a dire need for their upliftment to provide them with a quality life. Also, the cities generate about 80% of the world GDP and consume 60-70% of energy. They contribute roughly 70% to carbon emissions. Thus, cities have a very high socio-economic and environmental impact, necessitating developing sustainable cities. [2]
Image Source: GOAL 11: Sustainable cities and communities | UNEP
Image Source: GOAL 11: Sustainable cities and communities | UNEP
Relevance of Sustainable Cities and Communities in Indian Context
Living in the second-most populous country tends to make you familiar with the crowded streets, heavy traffic, high level of pollutants, smaller living areas, and larger dump yards. Two things that seem ever-increasing in India are its urbanization and the population. Only if they collectively consider rational economic, social, and environmental impact will we attain sustainable or green cities. The mass migration of rural occupants to urban areas searching for jobs, education, etc., leads to an imbalance in resource allocation. Unseasonal flooding in Chennai results from inefficient regional planning, improper industrial and agricultural drainage system that aggravates water pollution, and the capital city, Delhi, always being a victim of air pollution. [3] All these cases substantiate the need for SDG-11.
The Government has made significant efforts in India to improve living standards, provide basic amenities and manage the population. Schemes such as AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation), PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana), Smart cities mission, etc., are trying to create a change and build more sustainable cities. GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) city in Gujarat is one example of a fully sustainable city. Other prominent targets could be tourist places, as the GDP of 6.8% of the Indian economy comes from tourism. [4] Therefore, places like Amritsar adopting e-vehicles and smart cards make total sense. Similarly, Ujjain redeveloping to make space for tourists and residents, and Surat converting wastelands to biodiversity hubs helps us get closer to our sustainable development goals.[5]
While most of the emphasis goes towards the infrastructure of cities, it is vital to consider the communities within them. A total of 100 cities have been selected for the Smart Cities Mission by the Government of India to improve quality of life while being sustainable.[6] In 2020, the World Bank reported that 65% of India’s population resides in rural areas.[7] It raises the question of why more efforts are not being taken at the rural level where most Indians live. Moreover, there is often a push in the other direction whereby villages and smaller towns are ignored such that the communities within are left with no choice but to move to urban areas to earn a living.
For a sustainable city to work, the relationship with the community within should be such that both elevate each other. Hence, the community must be involved in the decision-making process to help build a sustainable city and maintain it. [8] India should move in this direction due to the immense diversity of people, geographies, and issues faced in different regions. For instance, the Govardhan Eco-Village in Maharashtra combines a traditional rural lifestyle with modern technology to ensure sustainability in four dimensions (social, cultural, ecological and economical).[9] The community in the village is integrated into the system, which also includes various rural development programs in tribal villages. [10]
Businesses Making a Difference
Hindustan Unilever Ltd:
Prabhat - one of the prime initiatives by HUL to develop sustainable and inclusive communities works rigorously to achieve water positivity, carbon neutrality, waste reduction and economic empowerment. Opening up livelihood centers to make especially abled people financially independent, bringing the culture of Paani Panchayats, set up biogas plants to manage waste and create renewable power. Skill development sessions and a focus on financial and digital literacy has evolved communities. As a large part of the Indian population is involved in the agricultural sector, Prabhat also promotes entrepreneurship in the sector through value chain interventions to reduce costs and improve the quality of produce. [11]
PwC:
PwC plays a part in sustainable cities through its work with clients, helping better the infrastructure of urban locations (specifically in developing countries), and upgrading its offices in the UK (where it is based). [12] In India, PwC is working on the ‘100 Smart Cities Mission' which aims to make cities across India citizen-friendly and sustainable. [12]
PwC leads the UK’s Department for International Development’s Infrastructure and Cities for Economic Development (ICED) facility, which aids the design of development assistance programs on sustainable investment into the man-made environment of developing nations in South Asia and Africa. [12]
Internally, PwC has upgraded its UK offices and included a sustainability criteria for all its future buildings. Its new office in London which opened in 2011 received an ‘Outstanding’ rating from BREEAM, a building environmental rating system. [13]
The firm has also co-authored several papers, in association with WEF, on the dynamics between emerging cities and environmental sustainability, and the effect on infrastructure in urban areas as a result of human displacement. PwC has also come up with an ‘SDG Navigator diagnostic tool’ [13] that helps businesses gain an understanding of the SDGs, and implement ones that are most relevant and impactful. [14]
RPG Group:
An important aspect of SDG-11 is to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. RPG Foundation is working and contributing towards providing career development opportunities to the communities living in the vicinity of their factories. [15] RPG is working with local governments to create a holistic impact in terms of providing better drinking water and creating hygiene awareness. In terms of employability, RPG is supporting women by imparting vocational training to gain livelihood opportunities. A few months ago, CEAT embarked on an ambitious journey to reduce its carbon footprint by 50%, by 2030. [16]
Analysis and Suggested Path Ahead
As of today, 4.2 billion people live in cities today around the world, especially in developed countries. In addition, the global population is continuously increasing and is expected to reach 10.9 billion by 2100. To make sure the safe and healthy places where they will be living in the future, we need to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
Impending rapid urbanization is inevitable in developing countries. People will look forward to moving to cities to improve their lifestyle and hence cities will generate more than 80% of the global GDP. This comes up with the many challenges as urbanization will increase industrialization, resulting in an increase in pollution, income gap, and lack of places to live in cities. Increasing pollution in many of the metropolitan Indian cities further convolutes the situation. According to the world bank report, By 2030, climate change and natural disasters may cost cities worldwide $314 billion each year, and push 77 million more, urban residents, into poverty. [17]
Here are ways that we can make cities more sustainable and healthier –
Promote Urban Agriculture: Practicing urban cultivation enhances food security as more people will have access to organic vegetables. Besides this, we can shorten supply chains and the amount of CO2 emitted when transporting food from rural to urban areas. Lastly, it also assists inefficient use of land in our neighborhood.
Reducing and Managing Food Waste: As the population is increasing, food management has become of paramount importance. People in urban areas consume up to 70 percent of the global food supply, but much is thrown away. [18] The roots of the problem may vary from place to place, but inadequate planning, improper storage, and poor planning are some of the most common reasons. Incessant improvement in this can do wonders and mitigate the food problem for future generations. This directly connects to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). As cities due to high population and economic activity are the biggest consumers of food, the issues of sustainable consumption and sustainable cities are inherently linked.
Financing the New Urban Agenda: To fill the big financial gap of $4.5-$5.4 trillion, cities have to strengthen their municipal finance along with building infrastructure i.e. in terms of job creation, transportation, and industrialization. The GoI has already invested $160 billion since 2014 on upgrading the urban infrastructure and is planning on investing $700 billion of investment from 2021 to 2031 to boost its urban infrastructure. All these efforts will reduce obstacles in urban mobility, water security and nudge the smart cities theme in India.
According to Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary and Mission Director (Smart Cities Mission), “The government of India has created a National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) for infrastructure projects worth $1.5 trillion to be completed between 2020-25. A major focus of NIP is across energy (24%), roads (18%), urban (17%), and railways (12%). Each urban mission presents opportunities for global companies to invest and grow.” [19] The steps are also linked to SDG 9 (Industry, innovation, and infrastructure), as effective implementation of these underpins the municipal services, and designing them efficiently will play an important role in the resilience of urban infrastructure.
Green Energy Initiatives: In today’s world, there is an ever-increasing demand for energy. Global electricity demand is predicted to grow by 4.5% in 2021. [20] At present, a large proportion of the electricity demand is met from burning fossil fuels and other non-renewable sources. But climate change reports and resource scarcity have pointed towards the cons of using these sources of energy.
Increased investment towards green energy initiatives would be a significant step towards developing sustainable cities and communities as energy is one of the pillars of civilization. Corporations have immense resources that could be used for these initiatives.
Cities in developing countries perform relatively poorly in terms of their environmental impact per capita. Increasing attention to air quality and better waste management are primary steps to focus on to correct the issue.
Share of low-carbon sources and coal in world electricity generation, 1971-2021
Image Source: IEA, Share of low-carbon sources and coal in world electricity generation, 1971-2021, IEA, Paris Share of low-carbon sources and coal in world electricity generation, 1971-2021 – Charts – Data & Statistics - IEA
Image Source: Per capita environmental impact of cities (2030 projection)
Building Resilience to Natural Disasters: Recent events have thrown light upon today's cities' vulnerability to natural disasters. These disasters have been much frequent as a result of climate change. Apart from government expenditure, corporations can also play an essential role in safeguarding the cities from these events in the future. Infrastructure projects could be undertaken to prevent the damage done from disasters - (e.g., Dykes, Dams), or they could help during the disasters to provide relief (e.g., Backup electricity, communication, etc.)
References
Sustainable Development Goals | United Nations Development Programme
Sustainable Development Goals | United Nations Development Programme
Tourism & Hospitality Industry in India: Market Size, Govt Initiatives, Investments | IBEF
India - Rural Population - 2021 Data 2022 Forecast 1960-2020 Historical (tradingeconomics.com)
What is the Scope of Sustainable Communities in India? (ukdiss.com)
Prabhat - Developing Sustainable and Inclusive Communities | Unilever (hul.co.in)
Navigating the SDGs: a business guide to engaging with the UN Global Goals
RPG Enterprises | Jeevan | Clean Drinking Water | Nutrition | Hygiene
Five ways to make cities healthier and more sustainable | FAO Stories
India eyes $700 billion investments to boost urban infrastructure
IEA (2021), Global Energy Review 2021, IEA, Paris (https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2021)
Comments
Post a Comment