Climate Change Mitigation
is action to reduce the net amount of greenhouse gases released into the
atmosphere, and thus help to slow down the process of climate change resulting
from human activities. Cities are responsible for at least 75% of
Greenhouse Gas emissions. Seventy-five per cent of global energy consumption
occurs in cities and roughly half of this comes from burning fossil fuels in
cities for urban transport. As such, every single dollar spent reducing this
consumption is the single most cost-effective measure local governments can
take in terms of climate change mitigation. City officials have the
responsibility to design their cities according to compact and mixed-use models
to mitigate climate change as much as possible. When developing an urban
strategy, for instance, investing in non-motorized transportation can serve to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions while, at the same time, generate adaptation
benefits by reducing health problems caused by traffic congestion and pollution.
THE ABC FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES
UNEP / UN HABITAT / FIDIC / GI-REC
Based on
EU; Climate change: Key
terms in 23 languages.pdf
