Urban Law and Sustainable Cities: The Promotion of Sustainable Energy Usage and Urban Design

Credit: Getty Images

This article is a part of the Sustainable Cities series under the SDG – 11 of the United Nations, targeting “Sustainable cities and human settlements" in light of the continuous process of urbanisation. This article assesses the UN-Habitat framework and focuses on the efforts of sustainable energy usage and urban design in making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable while tackling climate change.  

UN-Habitat

Established in 1978, the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) is a scheme for human settlements and sustainable urban development. UN-Habitat promotes sustainable urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities – it is central to the realization of economic growth, as well as the reduction of environmental risks as set out in a suite of global agreements.

Energy Usage and Climate Change

Energy plays a critical role in the development of sustainable cities. Owing to the rapid growth of industrialization and urbanization, the ever-increasing energy usage has widely contributed to greenhouse gas emissions. As such, climate change and global warming have emerged as global challenges. To reduce cities’ dependency on fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources, access to affordable clean energy is a key requirement.

Currently, cities account for between 60-80% of energy consumption and generate as much as 70% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the complex issues of poor economic infrastructure and extreme poverty in developing countries have resulted in increased environmental problems. The task of UN-Habitat therefore is not only to encourage more-developed countries (MDCs) to switch to clean energy, but also to bridge the gap between the developing and developed worlds by providing more assistance to less developed countries (“LDC”s).

Sustainable Energy Usage and Urban Design

An example of the UN-Habitat's commitment to aiding LDCs’ sustainable development is the Green Building Initiative in Cambodia. While Cambodia’s coastal city, Sihanoukville, is currently experiencing rapid urbanization with the emergence of new businesses, casinos, skyscrapers etc., the country is still weathering high inflation and fiscal deficit. For this reason, the Green Building Initiative aims to financially support Cambodia’s adoption of green technology by providing clean and renewable energy options to vulnerable communities in its underdeveloped areas. This includes the installation of environmentally friendly stoves, solar fans, and solar lights for houses and streets. This demonstrates UN-Habitat's ability to improve livelihoods and living environments by reducing energy costs in the long term, and that it serves to accelerate the global energy transition towards renewable energy.

Additionally, UN-Habitat works closely with national and local governments in support of the development of green and sustainable housing. Through the Global Network for Sustainable Housing (GNSH), UN-Habitat seeks to reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the current housing sector by improving insulation, enhancing cooling/heating systems, and adopting smart designs with low energy appliances etc. For instance, the ‘EcoCasa’ Project was implemented in Mexico to scale up the deployment of low-carbon housing. By providing technical support and financial incentives, this project aims to build sustainable and energy-efficient homes for low-income families while helping Mexico achieve its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050.

Overall, UN-Habitat as an international agent works towards providing equitable housing for the growing population in need while tackling the increase in energy consumption by cooperating closely with partner countries and local governments. Though we still have a long way to go before the net-zero target can be achieved, this nonetheless constitutes a modest step forward.

By Emma Lau