UN climate change high-level champion for Egypt, Mahmoud Mohieldin has assured that transitioning to green cities through nature-based solutions would help to achieve resilience and reduce losses from climate change.
He made this known during a session about the green urban future in the shadow of the climate crisis, at the 38th annual African Union for Housing Finance Conference held 28-30 November in Cairo.
Mohieldin, who doubles as the UN special envoy on financing the 2030 sustainable development agenda, said that building green cities will help provide job opportunities and lower the cost of infrastructure, stimulate businesses productivity, increase the value of tourism, achieve long-term economic growth and increase food and water security.
According to him, transitioning to green urban societies will provide cleaner air and water, enhancing human health and increasing habitat for endangered species. Nature-based solutions will also increase financial efficiency and raise the value of the available funds for climate action.
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Mohieldin noted that cities play a crucial role in activating climate action for many reasons.
“First, they contribute to the climate crisis by emitting the largest amount of greenhouse gases, which require mitigation,”he said. “Second, most urban areas are located on coasts threatened by rises in sea level, which demands adaptation measures”.
He explained that cities can also reduce loss and damage from climate change by hosting early warning systems and providing social protection for people, adding that they are economic engines that can mobilise finance for climate action.
“The COP27 Presidential Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) initiative aims to enhance and accelerate local and urban climate action through multi-level governance, contributing to achieving the Paris Climate Goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a whole,” Mohieldin said.
Mohieldin maintained that high-level climate champions (HLCs) could work with non-state entities in cities to help achieve the NetZero target through mitigation.
“The Five Regional Roundtables initiative launched by Egypt’s presidency of COP27, UN regional economic commissions and HLCs resulted in a pipeline of projects that help urban societies reduce emissions and adapt to climate change in a holistic approach that aims to achieve SDGs through involving all stakeholders including the private sector,” Mohieldin stated.
Story was adapted from ahram online.
