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Contribution of the SDGs to urban sustainability

Contribution of the SDGs to urban sustainability. David Satterthwaite International Institute for Environment and Development. Global attention to world’s 4 billion urban dwellers. Urban areas/urbanization getting more attention But mainly wrt economic growth and climate change mitigation

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Contribution of the SDGs to urban sustainability

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  1. Contribution of the SDGs to urban sustainability David Satterthwaite International Institute for Environment and Development

  2. Global attention to world’s 4 billion urban dwellers • Urban areas/urbanization getting more attention • But mainly wrt economic growth and climate change mitigation • Less interest in • reducing urban poverty for the billion+ in informal settlements • Addressing urban environmental health • climate change adaptation in urban areas

  3. SD means moving forward on multiple goals INDIA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL ECO-CITY (and the perfect green economy) CITY OF 400,000 INHABITANTS WITH • Low GHG emissions • Prosperity & innovation ($400 million/year) • Keeping down resource use • Maximizing waste re-use & recycling • Compact city so little loss of forest or agri land • Most trips by walking or bicycling • Diets that are not too energy-intensive • Including many vegetarians….

  4. Dharavi

  5. BUT One toilet/1000 people?

  6. Water pipes and waste water canal

  7. SDGs • Huge ambition: • Universal provision/Leave no-one behind • Combine development and sustainability • For urban areas, 3 environmental agendas: environmental health, resource use, waste reduction/management within+beyond boundaries • BUT so much on ‘what’; so little on how and by whom • Such radical goals without changing the institutions? • Without the data to measure and monitor progress? KEY ISSUE: How to support those institutions with the willingness and capacity to address the SDGs

  8. Viewing the SDGs with an urban lens • 1: Poverty: ambitious words, very inappropriate benchmark • 2: Good general goals on food security but focus on production + rural • 3-5: Good general goals (health, education, gender equality) • 6: Water & sanitation: strong targets but no specifics about urban & inaccurate indicators • Drainagenot mentioned but implied by 13 • Solid waste collection (not mentioned) and management (11) • 7: Energy/electricity (importance for SMEs)

  9. Viewing the SDGs with an urban lens (2) • 8: Growth. Huge relevance to urban (job creation, resource efficiency, sustainable consumption) but no mention • 9: Infrastructure. Huge relevance to but no mention of urban • 10: Inequality. Focus on income? Not on health/basic services? • 11: Cities: universal basic services, safe land sites for safe housing, reducing ecological footprints • Access to schools, health care, emergency services, policing/rule of law implied by ‘basic services’ in 11 • Disaster risk reduction (11.6), climate change adaptation (11b) contribution to mitigation (11b)

  10. Viewing the SDGs with an urban lens (3) • 12-15: Sustainable consumption, oceans, ecosystems – no explicit mention of urban • 16: Governance. Very weak on local government and local civil society. Stress on national with occasional mention of ‘all levels’ SO WHAT DRIVES CHANGE TOWARDS MOST OF THE SDGs FOR URBAN AREAS • Capable, accountable, resourced city/municipal governments able to work with private sector and with • Organized urban poor groups/networks/federations that can work with city and municipal governments

  11. If the SDGs took local governments & local civil society seriously? • Funds + support for city and municipal governments • Recognize city leadership here • Leaders that can listen • Recognize this level is where so much can be done Funds for grassroots organizations/federations • Recognize huge innovation here – Urban Poor Fund International of Slum/Shack Dwellers International and Asian Coalition for Community Action • 100+ city governments in partnership with urban poor organizations

  12. So what can support SDGs in urban areas • Encourage urban governments to make formal commitment to meeting SDGs that are within their responsibilities • Redirect funding + support to local governments and representative organizations of the urban poor • Large common ground in reducing everyday risk, disaster risk and climate change risk • Mayors and city governments that are innovating in this often also innovating on mitigation (and some also on green economy)

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