INDICATORS/The Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

The 2016 Environmental Performance Index is a project lead by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy (YCELP) and Yale Data-Driven Environmental Solutions Group at Yale University (Data-Driven Yale), the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University, in collaboration with the Samuel Family Foundation, McCall MacBain Foundation, and the World Economic Forum.

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is constructed through the calculation and aggregation of more than 20 indicators reflecting national-level environmental data. These indicators are combined into nine issue categories, each of which fit under one of two overarching objectives. This section provides an overview of how the EPI is calculated. 

To read click here: The Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2016 - Yale

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks countries’ performance on high-priority environmental issues in two areas: protection of human health and protection of ecosystems. Within these two policy objectives the EPI scores national performance in nine issue areas comprised of more than 20 indicators (see EPI Framework). EPI indicators measure country proximity to meeting internationally established targets or, in the absence of agreed targets, how nations compare to one another.

The 2016 Environmental Performance Index provides a global view of environmental performance and country by country metrics to inform decision-making. Launched at the World Economic Forum, the EPI is in its 15th year and more relevant than ever to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and carrying out the recent international climate change agreement.

To read click here: 

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2016 

Contents: 

Health impacts

Air quality

Water and sanitation

Water resources

Agriculture

Forests

Fisheries

Biodiversity and habitat

Climate and energy

Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future

Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report, from the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development(WCED) was published in 1987.

Its targets were multilateralism and interdependence of nations in the search for a sustainable development path. The report sought to recapture the spirit of the [[United Nations by shivang dubey and radhika rahti Conference on the Human Environment]] - the Stockholm Conference - which had introduced environmental concerns to the formal political development sphere. Our Common Future placed environmental issues firmly on the political agenda; it aimed to discuss the environment and development as one single issue.

The document was the culmination of a “900 day” international-exercise which catalogued, analysed, and synthesised: written submissions and expert testimony from “senior government representatives, scientists and experts, research institutes, industrialists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and the general public” held at public hearings throughout the world.

To read click here:  

Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future

Part I. Common Concerns 1. A Threatened Future I. Symptoms and Causes II. New Approaches to Environment and Development 2. Towards Sustainable Development I. The Concept of Sustainable Development II. Equity and the Common Interest III. Strategic Imperatives IV. Conclusion 3. The Role of the International Economy The International Economy, the Environment, and Development I. II. Decline in the 1980s III. Enabling Sustainable Development IV. A Sustainable World Economy

Part II. Common Challenges 4. Population and Human Resources I. The Links with Environment and Development II. The Population Perspective III. A Policy Framework 5. Food Security: Sustaining the Potential I. Achievements II. Signs of Crisis III. The Challenge IV. Strategies for Sustainable Food Security V. Food for the Future 6. Species and Ecosystems: Resources for Development I. The Problem: Character and Extent II. Extinction Patterns and Trends III. Some Causes of Extinction IV. Economic Values at Stake V. New Approach: Anticipate and Prevent VI. International Action for National Species VII. Scope for National Action VIII. The Need for Action 7. Energy: Choices for Environment and Development I. Energy, Economy, and Environment II. Fossil Fuels: The Continuing Dilemma III. Nuclear Energy: Unsolved Problems IV. Wood Fuels: The Vanishing Resource V. Renewable Energy: The Untapped Potential VI. Energy Efficiency: Maintaining the Momentum VII. Energy Conservation Measures VIII. Conclusion 8. Industry: Producing More With Less I. Industrial Growth and its Impact II. Sustainable Industrial Development in a Global Context III. Strategies for Sustainable Industrial Development 9. The Urban Challenge I. The Growth of Cities II. The Urban Challenge in Developing Countries III. International Cooperation

Part III. Common Endeavours 10. Managing The Commons I. Oceans: The Balance of Life II. Space: A Key to Planetary Management III. Antarctica: Towards Global Cooperation 11. Peace, Security, Development, and the Environment I. Environmental Stress as a Source of Conflict II. Conflict as a Cause of Unsustainable Development III. Towards Security and Sustainable Development Towards Common Action: Proposals For Institutional and Legal Change 12. I. The Challenge for Institutional and Legal Change II. Proposals for Institutional and Legal Change III. A Call for Action.

Annexes. Annexe 1: Summary of Proposed Legal Principles for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Adopted by the WCED Experts Group on Environmental Law Annexe 2: The Commission and its Work.

THE ABC/ Climate Change Adaptation

The process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects. In human systems, adaptation seeks to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. In some natural systems, human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects. Cities face significant impacts from climate change, which have potentially serious consequences for human health, livelihoods, and assets, especially for the urban poor, informal settlements, and other vulnerable groups. Cities around the world have begun to plan for climate change by developing stand-alone climate plans or incorporating climate considerations into existing plans, policies, and projects. Climate change will have impacts on many sectors: land use, housing, transportation, public health, water supply and sanitation, solid waste, food security, and energy etc.

THE ABC FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES

UNEP / UN HABITAT / FIDIC / GI-REC

Based on

IPCC AR5 - WGII

World Bank Group; Guide to Climate Change Adaptation in Cities

   Graphic: ReNew Canada

SUSTAINABLE CITIES/Mexico City - Proaire

The city’s government, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Environment Commission, has implemented four consecutive programmes since the first ProAire launched in 1990. Mexico’s measures to improve air quality have been diverse, from closing the city’s most polluting factories to banning cars one day per week in the city´s metropolitan area. Its BRT Metrobus system launched in 2005 as part of the ProAire III program is the longest such system in Latin America. The city’s Ecobici bike-sharing programme is also the largest in the region, and has been replicated in other Latin American cities. Although Mexico City has already made great strides in improving its air quality, it remains proactive in tackling the challenges that remain. The ProAire IV programme, launched in 2011 and running until 2020, contains 89 measures and 116 separate actions across eight strategy areas, including energy consumption, greening of the municipal transport fleets, education, green areas and reforestation, capacity building and scientific research.

To read click here: 

Mexico City - Sustainability Official Site 

C40 Cities Awards

NTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION/U.N The Global Compact Cities Programme

The Global Compact Cities Programme, or Cities Programme, is the urban arm of the United Nations Global Compact. Its International Secretariat is based in Melbourne, Australia and is hosted by RMIT University. Its Executive is comprised of the Cities Programme Director and Deputy Director and the Head of Local Networks from the Global Office New York.

To advance the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption we work with cities and regions and partners to progress social equity and justice, environmental sustainability and good governance in the urban environment.

The Cities Programme works to advance the Global Compact and the Ten Principles in cities and regions through:

• Networking to transfer knowledge and practice
• Creating new knowledge to underpin the progress of cities and regions
• Enabling effective action through capacity building and cross-sectoral collaboration
• Supporting planning, monitoring and reporting activities
• Communicating the achievements of cities and regions.

To read click here: U.N The Global Compact Cities Programme

SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS/Sustainability and Reporting Trends 2025 - GRI

GRI’s Sustainability and Reporting 2025 is designed to promote an international discussion about the purpose of sustainability reporting and disclosures looking ahead to 2025. Over a 12-month period, thought leaders in various fields are interviewed on subjects ranging from data technology to society and business development scenarios, with the aim of identifying main issues that will – or should be – at the center of companies’ agendas and their public reports. GRI - Sustainability and Reporting Trends

To read click here: 
Sustainability and Reporting Trends 2025 (I) GRI

In May 2015 GRI published the First Analysis Paper, which provided the first set of preliminary conclusions of the Sustainability and Reporting 2025 project. They resulted from the analysis of the first nine interviews conducted as part of the project, as well as other sources.

To read click here: 
Sustainability and Reporting Trends 2025 (II) GRI

The insights presented in this Second Analysis Paper Sustainability and Reporting Trends in 2025, launched in October 2015, provide the main conclusions of the Sustainability and Reporting 2025 project. They result from the analysis of 22 interviews conducted as part of the project, as well as other sources.

To read click here: 

The Next Era of Corporate Disclosure GRI 

The Next Era of Corporate Disclosure: Digital, Responsible, Interactive is a digital publication that maps out the future of sustainability reporting and disclosure. It is the culmination of the first year of GRI's continuing Sustainability and Reporting 2025 project, and provides conclusive insights from the discussions on which type of information will be needed to tackle the most critical challenges in the next decade and how data technology should be used to enable this journey.

City Art / Paris, Rome, NYC/ Kal Gajoum

Kal Gajoum is an artist from Tripoli, Libya who currently resides in British Columbia, Quebec, Canada. His interest in art started at a very early age by practicing oil painting and palette knife techniques. He learned watercolour techniques and the Parisian style of painting from a private artist. Now he concentrates on cityscapes and still life oil on canvas paintings.

To see click here: Kal Gajoum

    

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS/.N Climate Action - UNEP

Established in 2007 and headquartered in London, UK, Climate Action works in a unique, contractual partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – the world’s foremost body on environmental protection and stewardship.

Climate Action establishes and builds partnerships between business, government and public bodies to accelerate international sustainable development and advance the ‘green economy’.

They provide a global media and events platform across which stakeholders can share knowledge, technologies and expertise, and identify innovative solutions to the challenges faced by climate change and a growing population.

For their partners and supporters they help engage the private sector, bringing innovations, technologies and finance to the debate.

For their clients they help generate profitable business opportunities and partnerships, provide top-level access to emerging markets and reinforce their commitment to, and their position as leaders within, the global sustainability industry.

To read click here: Climate Action - UNEP

THE ABC/ Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a set out in Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a flexible mechanism which allows a country with an emission-reduction or emission-limitation commitment under the Protocol to implement an emission-reduction project in a developing country in order to earn sellable certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2 which can be counted towards meeting Kyoto targets.

THE ABC FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES

UNEP / UN HABITAT / FIDIC / GI-REC

Based on

UNFCC

                                                             Graphic: UNFCCC

SUSTAINABLE CITIES/Melbourne - Urban Landscapes Climate Adaptation Program

City of Melbourne developed a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy in 2007. In 2010, the urgency posed by the impacts of climate changes resulted in the city creating a multi-million dollar integrated climate change adaptation program – the Urban Landscapes Adaptation Program. The key goal of the Program is taking immediate action to respond to heat and drought. Successful actions include:

• Enacting projects including urban forest expansion, green space expansion, streetscape adaptation, development of green roofs & walls, integrated water management and storm water harvesting, and introducing permeable pavements.
• Running a four-year citizen engagement program to develop public awareness about the impacts of drought on the urban forest.
• Developing guidelines for species diversification to minimize vulnerability to pests and disease.
• Increasing evapotranspiration by watering of parks.
• Undertaking Australia’s first city based dendrochronology research to understand the impacts of climate change at city-scale.
• Running a Green Roofs Forum quarterly since 2010 to facilitate knowledge transfer to community and industry and developing the Growing Green Guidelines – Australia’s first guide for constructing green roofs.
• Commissioning cutting edge academic research to guide the city’s adaptation decisions.

To read click here: 

Melbourne - Sustainability Official Site 

C40 Cities Awards

EVENTS/14th International Congress of Educating Cities - IAEC

Living together in our cities

The theme that Rosario proposes to the IAEC for the XIV International Congress of Educating Cities 2016, is at the core of our beliefs, our values and our daily work: building fairer cities focusing on coexistence, solidarity and respect for diversity, emphasizing the value of equality of opportunities and social integration as the founding principles to this end.

The city is a complex space that harbours both spontaneous and planned or structured relationships. These relationships may be fluent or fragmented, and express the different dynamics that are the foundations of common and shared codes and display the coexistence of different, diverse and unequal times and identities.

June 1 to 4 - 2016

Rosario, Agentina 

To rerad click here: 
14th International Congress of Educating Cities  

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS/United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

With 197 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has been ratified by 192 of the UNFCCC Parties.

The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.

Stories on the Newsroom are written by UNFCCC staff. The publisher of the website is Nick Nuttall, Spokesperson and Coordinator Communications and Outreach.

To read click here:

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 

SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS/World Cities Report 2016 - UN Habitat

Urbanization and Development: Emerging Futures

Urbanization and growth go hand in hand, and no one can deny that urbanization is essential for socioeconomic transformation, wealth generation, prosperity and development. As this Report asserts, the emerging future of cities largely depends on the way we plan and manage urbanization, and the way we leverage this transformative process to ‘provide the setting, the underlying base and also the momentum for global change’. The analysis of urban development of the past twenty years presented in this first edition of the World Cities Report shows, with compelling evidence, that there are new forms of collaboration and cooperation, planning governance, finance and learning that can sustain positive change.

The Report unequivocally demonstrates that the current urbanization model is unsustainable in many respects, puts many people at risk, creates unnecessary costs, negatively affects the environment, and is intrinsically unfair. It conveys a clear message that the pattern of urbanization needs to change in order to better respond to the challenges of our time, to address issues such as inequality, climate change, informality, insecurity, and the unsustainable forms of urban expansion.

Joan Clos Under-Secretary-General,

United Nations Executive Director, UN-Habitat

To read click here: 

World Cities Report 2016 - UN Habitat (Full Report) 

World Cities Report 2016 - UN Habitat (On Line)

Chapters

From Habitat II to Habitat III: Twenty Years of Urban Development

Urbanization as a Transformative Force

The Fate of Housing

The Widening Urban Divide

 “Just” Environmental Sustainabilities

Rules of the Game: Urban Governance and Legislation

A City that Plans: Reinventing Urban Planning

The Changing Dynamics of Urban Economies

Principles For a New Urban Agenda

The New Urban Agenda

SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS/Cities Prosperity Initiative Toolkit

UN-Habitat’s “City Prosperity Initiative” is a strategic measurement, monitoring, and policy tool for cities that are committed to adopt a more holistic, people-centred, and sustainable notion of prosperity and that pledge to deploy the necessary efforts and resources to move forward on the prosperity path.

General Objectives

• Globally mainstream a fresh approach to prosperity that is holistic and integrated, and which is essential for the promotion of collective well-being and fulfillment for all.
• Help cities to steer the world towards economically, socially, politically, and environmentally prosperous futures.
• Catalyze the policies and actions of cities towards the prosperity path, and create conditions to measure current and future progress.

    To read click here: Cities Prosperity Initiative Toolkit

SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS/Sustainable Development Goals - People's Agenda - UNA - UK

"Many people joined in the process of articulating the SDGs. Many took to the streets and kept the heat on political leaders for climate action. With the SDG framework and a climate agreement now in hand, we need to keep these coalitions together and elicit effort from everyone, everywhere. The United Nations looks forward to working with people across the world to bring the goals to life, to transform our world and to build a future of dignity for all. That’s the plan; that’s the promise. Let’s get to work!"  

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations

To read click here:

Sustainable Development Goals - People's Agenda - UNA - UK

Contents: 

MEETING THE DEMAND

Development reimagined

Breaking the cycle of poverty

Grassroots solutions

End of the line for malnutrition?

Gender equality as the means and the end

Investing in health

Prioritising mental health

Displacement and development

Promoting inclusive growth for healthy economies

Building effective institutions

Development and countering violent extremism

PARTNERS IN ACTION

Sharing the tools for development

Data for development

Beneficiary engagement in the SDG era

Changing behaviour to achieve progress

Why trade matters

Sustainable business

Bridging development goals and climate action

SouthSouth cooperation: new wine in old bottles?

IMPLEMENTATION

National policy, local delivery

From vision to reality: the journey of the SDGs

Holding leaders to account

Funding the SDGs

Can tax regimes underpin the SDGs?

RISKS

The forgotten minority

Fragile development

Peace and security for sustainable development

Atrocity prevention and the SDGs – a shared ambition

In the shadow of conflict

Can cities help reduce inequality?

Understanding corruption

From Sendai to Paris: risk-informed development

Countering epidemics

NEW DISCOURSE

Scaling global change campaigns

Cementing political accountability

People power

A UN fit for purpose?

Leading the change

THE ABC/ City Development Strategy (CDS)

An action-oriented process, developed and sustained through participation, to promote equitable growth in cities and their surrounding regions to improve the quality of life for all citizens. A CDS helps cities integrate a strategic development approach and a long-term perspective into their urban planning. With a CDS, cities move beyond planning around the short-term political or donor-funding cycle to considering where they should be in 20 or 30 years, and the steps that need to be taken to achieve those goals. The idea behind a CDS is that well-positioned, well-timed public, private and civil society strategic interventions can significantly change a city’s development path and improve its performance. 

THE ABC FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES

UNEP / UN HABITAT / FIDIC / GI-REC

Based on

Cities Alliance