ESCAP addresses issue of sustainable urban transport, as outlined in the Regional Action Programme for Sustainable Transport Connectivity in Asia and the Pacific, phase I (2017-2021). A regional meeting entitled “Asia-Pacific Sustainable Urban Transport Systems for the 2030 Agenda” was organized on 9 and 10 June 2021 in a virtual format. The high-level meeting provided a platform for the exchange of regional and global best practices which address sustainable urban transport systems in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3, 11 and 13).

Hamburg Using Nature to Purify its Water

As part of the Data-Driven Climate Action project, ICLEI has launched four case studies about how data-driven decision-making is helping cities to plan, implement and monitor climate change mitigation initiatives. With the support of Google.org, the project provides valuable data to assist local and regional governments in the decision-making process regarding climate action.

In May 2021, ICLEI’s Sustainable Mobility team organized a session on “Transitioning towards e-buses: Barriers and opportunities”.

Reflecting learnings in different contexts, the consensus is clear: e-buses still present technological, financial, and institutional barriers and the transition to a full electric bus fleet requires an integrated introduction of a new ecosystem built around policy, infrastructure and financing. The question remains: how could cities plan the transition and pilot new buses to help transform mobility in support of sustainable development goals?

The global coronavirus pandemic brought a wave of public and private initiatives to help societies adapt and recover, from economic stabilization and safety measures to new business models and shifts in consumption. Many of these initiatives are not green, despite the fact that society needs major changes to avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change and ensure health and equity for all.

Transport is a key sector in need of big changes, comprising 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 24% of carbon emissions. Meanwhile, over a million traffic fatalities occur every year, millions are exposed to deadly air pollution on roads and the majority of residents in many cities — often the poorest — cannot reach a job within an hour of travel time.

In a new paper with the Transport Decarbonisation Alliance, WRI evaluated countries’, cities’ and companies’ actions during the pandemic that impact the transport sector. They found that of the $298 billion in global recovery funds catalogued by the Energy Policy Tracker in the transport sector between March 2020 and February 2021, only 44% positively affect the climate and sustainability.

On 9 July, the GlobalABC will host the online event "Building Pathways to Net-Zero" as an affiliated event to the 2021 APCW. The event will discuss the level of ambition needed in the buildings and construction sector, as well as the key tools to deliver that vision by 2050 and the landmark milestones that need to be achieved by 2030. Speakers include:

- Ha Quong Hung, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Construction, Viet Nam
- Septia Buntara, ASEAN Center for Energy (TBC)
- Dr. Yan Vandeluxe, Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, Cambodia (TBC)
- Saraubh Diddi, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, India
- Peter Graham, Global Buildings Performance Network (TBC)
- Built environment systems map – Nexial/Laudes (TBC)
- Oliver Woodruff, ARUP Vietnam

Looking forward to welcome you there!

Read how two leading water utilities — Severn Trent in the UK and SA Water in Australia — are using smart sensors to detect blockages

***New book out: Regional Water Security provides new research on policy innovations that promote the application of demand management and green infrastructure to achieve regional #watersecurity Available at https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Regional+Water+Security-p-9781119661122