In a world grappling with climate change, sustainability efforts and urban climate action are paramount. Recent reports from Yale University’s Center for Environmental Law and Policy, and a study by UN-Habitat, UNDP, and the University of Southern Denmark’s UNESCO Chair on Urban Resilience, provide crucial insights into these challenges and the progress being made.
The 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), a collaboration between the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, evaluates 180 countries on their environmental health, ecosystem vitality, and climate change mitigation. With 58 indicators across 11 categories, the EPI is an evidence-based scorecard for global sustainability efforts.
The 2024 EPI introduces new metrics to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and habitat protection. While GHG emissions are decreasing in more countries than before, only Estonia, Finland, Greece, Timor-Leste, and the UK are on track to reach net-zero by 2050. This highlights the ongoing challenge for major emitters like China, Russia, and India.
New metrics also measure how well countries protect essential habitats and regulate protected areas. Despite meeting area protection goals, many nations continue to witness the loss of natural ecosystems. The EPI warns that without adequate funding and robust environmental protection standards, significant challenges remain.
Financial resources play a critical role in sustainability. The EPI found a positive correlation between a country’s wealth and its sustainability score, though high wealth results in diminishing returns. Wealthier countries can fund better infrastructure and renewables but are also responsible for higher GHG emissions, waste, and ecosystem destruction. The EPI cautions developing countries to avoid the environmental pitfalls of overconsumption as seen in wealthier nations.
Urban areas are crucial in achieving climate targets. A UN study ahead of COP30 highlighted that only 27% of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) focus on urban priorities, despite cities being responsible for 70% of global energy consumption and 60% of GHG emissions. Low- and middle-income countries like China, Colombia, Morocco, and South Africa have made strides, but high-income countries have lagged.
Urbanization exacerbates climate challenges, with more frequent heatwaves, floods, and rising sea levels. Without robust adaptation strategies, urban centers remain vulnerable. The IPCC’s report emphasizes that just $384 billion has been spent on urban climate action, a mere 10% of what is needed to build resilient, low-carbon cities. Marcos Neto of the UNDP underscores the importance of integrating urban solutions into climate strategies.
Haiti’s experience exemplifies both progress and ongoing challenges. Climbing 27 places in the EPI, Haiti showcased improvements in ecosystem vitality and climate change mitigation. However, it faces significant environmental issues, especially in urban centers like Port-au-Prince, struggling with deforestation, waste management, and natural disasters. Lovelie Stanley Numa from COJHEE called for the Haitian government to prioritize environmentally friendly policies, urging adherence to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Addressing military emissions is another critical area. Although countries like Canada, France, and the US have set climate mitigation policies for their militaries, these have yet to be fully integrated into NDCs. The UN Development Programme’s Climate Promise initiative aims to assist developing countries in their NDC commitments, encouraging military inclusion in climate pledges.
Overall, while there are notable advancements in global sustainability efforts, significant hurdles remain. From the EPI’s findings to the UN’s call for increased urban focus in climate strategies, the road to comprehensive environmental resilience is long and necessitates concerted efforts and robust policies globally.
News Sources
- Cities’ Potential in Tackling Climate Change Still Largely Untapped
- Harmonizing existing climate change mitigation policy datasets with a hybrid machine learning approach
- Haiti scores positively in EPI report amid calls for PM Conille to prioritize environment
- National climate action plans must include military emissions
Assisted by GAI and LLM Technologies
Source: HaystackID
