Tipe & Size (, 150K) cities can lead us
A major study done by two leading British university has found that cities could
take a leading role in guiding the world to a more climate-friendly future. What’s
more, say the scientists, it could be done within a suprisingly short period and a
practically no extra cost. They even found could save money.
THEY CONFIDENTLY state that investing just two percent of modern city’s gross
domestic product (GDP) in low carbon and energy-efficient opportunities for 10
years would reduce such a city carbon emission levvels by 40 percent at no net
cost. The report, dubbed the :City-scale Minis Stern Review”, wa presented this
week at COP17. The research was carried out over 18 months by a team from
University of York which has headed by Proffesor Andy Gouldson of Leeds
School of Earth and Environment. Collaborative The investigation was
commisioned by the Center for Low Carbon Future, a collaborative membership
organization that focuses on whet it calls ‘Sustainabiltiy for Competitive
Advantage. Founded by the universities of Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and York, it
brings together multidisciplinary abd evidence-based research to inform policyaking and to demnostrate low-carbon innovations. It says its activities are
focused on enegry systems, smart infrastructure and the circular economy.
The project focused on the importance of decarbonising cities as part of a
strategy to tackle global climate change. It evaluated the cost and carboneffectiveness of a wide rane of low carbon options that could be applied to
households, industry, commerce and transport at the city scale. A statement on the
findings says that the top-line results from the research showed that investment of two
percent of city scale GDP each year for 10 years would generate direct annual
savings of 2.2 percen of GDP a year. Furthermore, every 1 billion pound (R12.79
billion) of investment in low carbon option would generate 220 million pound of
energy cost savings each year in the forms reduced energy bills for households,
firms and the public sector. As a result, such investment would be able to repaid
in just over four years.
Durban, with its impressive skyline, could be aworld in showing the rest of
humanity how to live in harmony with nature. Investment on this scale would
result in numerous benefits for cities, including meeting carbon reduction targets,
stimulating economic growth, reducing exposure to energy costs and creating
jobs. Commenting on the research, John Price, director of the Center for Low
Carbon Future sayus: Finding financially viable solutions to decarbonise our
cities should be central to our global cities change strategy. After all, more than
half of economic output in generated in cities, and more than half of all people
live ini cities-leading to 40 percent and 70 percent of all anthropogenic
greenhouse emmissions bring produced in cities. This reserach demonstrates
that investing in low carbon solutios now not only financially possible, but also
makes absolute economic sense. Professor Goudson says: This research
demonstrates that investing in low carbon measures in not only cost effective, but
also can result on investment. More importantly, it can deliver numerous benefits
for huge number of peole around the world who live in cities. It won’t be possible
with financial capital alone, we need political and social buy in to make it happen”.
The statement says the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed the
University of Leeds to be the UK’s eight biggest research powerhouse. The
university is one of the institutions in the UK and is a member of the Russel
Group of universities. Its vision is to secure a place among the worlds’s top 50
Universities by 2015.
Referensi:
Leon Marshall Paper published on Durban local daily, 2011.
take a leading role in guiding the world to a more climate-friendly future. What’s
more, say the scientists, it could be done within a suprisingly short period and a
practically no extra cost. They even found could save money.
THEY CONFIDENTLY state that investing just two percent of modern city’s gross
domestic product (GDP) in low carbon and energy-efficient opportunities for 10
years would reduce such a city carbon emission levvels by 40 percent at no net
cost. The report, dubbed the :City-scale Minis Stern Review”, wa presented this
week at COP17. The research was carried out over 18 months by a team from
University of York which has headed by Proffesor Andy Gouldson of Leeds
School of Earth and Environment. Collaborative The investigation was
commisioned by the Center for Low Carbon Future, a collaborative membership
organization that focuses on whet it calls ‘Sustainabiltiy for Competitive
Advantage. Founded by the universities of Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and York, it
brings together multidisciplinary abd evidence-based research to inform policyaking and to demnostrate low-carbon innovations. It says its activities are
focused on enegry systems, smart infrastructure and the circular economy.
The project focused on the importance of decarbonising cities as part of a
strategy to tackle global climate change. It evaluated the cost and carboneffectiveness of a wide rane of low carbon options that could be applied to
households, industry, commerce and transport at the city scale. A statement on the
findings says that the top-line results from the research showed that investment of two
percent of city scale GDP each year for 10 years would generate direct annual
savings of 2.2 percen of GDP a year. Furthermore, every 1 billion pound (R12.79
billion) of investment in low carbon option would generate 220 million pound of
energy cost savings each year in the forms reduced energy bills for households,
firms and the public sector. As a result, such investment would be able to repaid
in just over four years.
Durban, with its impressive skyline, could be aworld in showing the rest of
humanity how to live in harmony with nature. Investment on this scale would
result in numerous benefits for cities, including meeting carbon reduction targets,
stimulating economic growth, reducing exposure to energy costs and creating
jobs. Commenting on the research, John Price, director of the Center for Low
Carbon Future sayus: Finding financially viable solutions to decarbonise our
cities should be central to our global cities change strategy. After all, more than
half of economic output in generated in cities, and more than half of all people
live ini cities-leading to 40 percent and 70 percent of all anthropogenic
greenhouse emmissions bring produced in cities. This reserach demonstrates
that investing in low carbon solutios now not only financially possible, but also
makes absolute economic sense. Professor Goudson says: This research
demonstrates that investing in low carbon measures in not only cost effective, but
also can result on investment. More importantly, it can deliver numerous benefits
for huge number of peole around the world who live in cities. It won’t be possible
with financial capital alone, we need political and social buy in to make it happen”.
The statement says the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed the
University of Leeds to be the UK’s eight biggest research powerhouse. The
university is one of the institutions in the UK and is a member of the Russel
Group of universities. Its vision is to secure a place among the worlds’s top 50
Universities by 2015.
Referensi:
Leon Marshall Paper published on Durban local daily, 2011.