UN Environment Programme’s Post

Good news from Turkiye!

A conventional way of life with sustainability at its core is the need of the hour. Technologies burdened with a significant carbon footprint should be discouraged and abandoned. Cities also have to be thanked accordingly. That would be real smartness. 🌿🌎 Great initiative United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) UN Climate Change MoEF&CC #smartcity #sustainableliving #responsibleconsumption #lowcarbon #lifestyle #netzerotransition #netzero2050

"Thrilled to have presented at the International Conference on Sustainable Built Environment 2023! Delved into the impact of urban parks on urban thermal environments, focusing on Sri Lanka's intermediate and arid zones. #Research #Sustainability #UrbanPlanning"

Great news for sustainable urban development! The World Economic Forum (WEF) just released the "Nature Positive: Guidelines for the Transition in Cities" report – the first major outcome of the Nature-Positive Cities initiative. This report sheds light on how crucial nature is for cities to thrive. It provides a clear framework for cities to grasp the challenges and opportunities of rehabilitating nature within their urban environments. Engaging in discussions with dedicated leaders has been inspiring. Mayors from San Francisco, Incheon, Barranquilla, Durban, and Belem do Pará all shared their insights on overcoming urban challenges related to nature loss. Importantly, the discussions emphasized the crucial role all sectors can play in supporting cities' transition to a nature-positive future. Our work is far from over! We're committed to continuing this important initiative. We'll be outlining impactful solutions and charting a path for cities to make significant progress on their nature-positive journeys. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eue-H6Ge A special thanks and shout-out to Cristina Gómez Garcia-Reyes for your leadership in pulling this through! #NaturePositiveCities #NaturePositiveTransition Carlo Angeles Martin Anzellini Madhumitha Ardhanari George Patrick Richard Benson Carlos Eduardo Correa Escaf Piali Das Gupta Laura Fox Tatiana Gallego Lizon Maryam Golnaraghi, Ph.D. Craig Holland Andreas Kipar Ka Ming Andre K. Francisco Martes Porto Macedo Kate Meyrick Nora Van Cauwenbergh Sandra Villars, CFA Javier Garcia Olivares Nicole Merlo Esther An Nollaig Forrest Cha-Ly K. Marie Lam - Frendo Mauricio Rodas Mikolaj Sekutowicz Heather Thompson Kotchakorn Voraakhom Mark Watts Accenture Fundación Rutas Naturbanas

On Friday, I joined a lively virtual chat, 'The Urban Nexus Edition,' hosted by SA Cities Network, where I presented alongside other leaders and eco-experts. Together with other attendees we brainstormed how South African cities can develop in harmony with nature. It was an great experience, with many inspiring ideas and innovative approaches emphasizing how we can create biodiverse cities for everyone. My co-speakers' passion for their work was truly infectious, making it a memorable and thought-provoking event. Background: The SA Cities Network hosts regular "Cities' Lunchtime Chats" to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing among urban professionals and organizations. In this edition, a diverse panel discussed urban development, biodiversity, and ways to ensure a sustainable future for South African cities. Thanks to my co-presenters: Thandeka Mlaza-Lloyd (Acting Director: Integrated Community-based Planning in Group Strategy Policy Coordination and Relations at City of Johannesburg), Adrie Fourie (Head of Department: Sustainable Cities and Research at Solid Green Consulting), and Vhalinavho Khavhagali (Country Director: South Africa at the International Union for Conservation Of Nature - IUCN). Thanks also to all who attended and for the many questions and dialogue that ensued! Thanks also to all others who attended or participated!" The full discussion is available to watch on YouTube at https://lnkd.in/dxVajEjK To join in other Lunchtime Chat sessions, see details at https://lnkd.in/drsWKQzv #UrbanNexusEdition #SACitiesNetwork #LunchtimeChats #Urbanisation #Biodiversity #CitiesInNature #EThekwini #UrbanDevelopment #Ecosystems #RestorationEcology #CoCreatingBiodiverseCities #InternationalBiodiversityDay #SustainableCities #SouthAfrica #Conservation #IUCN #Durban #SolidGreenConsulting #Innovation #GreenFuture #Collaboration #UrbanPlanning #SustainableLiving #EcoFriendly #NatureLovers #GenerationRestoration #Forest #Naturesolutions #ecologicalinfrastructure

Barcelona is doing some genuinely pioneering green infrastructure projects, including the introduction of the 'Superblock'. In this short piece I argue that #cities such as Barcelona could use a new urban nature index to go much further, systematically transforming the urban environment into one in which nature and people thrive together. 🌿🌱🏡💚🦆🐟🐛🌳

🏙️Today, on World Cities Day, we celebrate the pivotal role our urban centers play in shaping a sustainable future. I am thrilled to announce the ICLEI-UNEP participation in the Generation Restoration Project, a transformative initiative with a mission to tackle pressing challenges in promoting ecosystem restoration at scale. 🌿 Ecosystem restoration is vital, and it's a priority within the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Our project aims to implement a comprehensive set of measures, addressing both political and technical hurdles, as well as finding innovative financial solutions. These efforts will foster urban ecosystem renewal, making our cities more resilient, sustainable, and vibrant. 💼As part of the implementation team, I'm incredibly proud to be contributing to this project's mission. Restoring our urban ecosystems is not just a necessity but an opportunity to create greener, healthier, and more inclusive urban spaces for generations to come. Together, we can make a difference. Let's work towards a brighter, more sustainable future, one city at a time. #WorldCitiesDay #GenerationRestoration #ICLEI #UNEP #EcosystemRestoration #Sustainability #UrbanRenewal #UNDecade #BiodiversityFramework #ProudToBePartOfTheTeam

Cities must safeguard the wellbeing of their citizens by protecting and enhancing their natural ecosystems. Cities across Europe are racing to create and implement Urban Greening Plans, as part of the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy, which provide a framework for integrating nature into all local policies and financing. Some of the biggest challenges faced by European cities in implementing these are competing interests for urban space, securing resources for long term maintenance, and coordinating across departments. There is also a notable lack of political leadership and local expertise to lead priorities into the right direction. Citizen engagement is not only a must, but also a tremendous advantage; after all, it is citizens who reap the biggest benefits of long-lasting, sustainable green spaces that improve quality of life in cities in more ways than one, as it’s been proven time and again by numerous studies. Let’s make a greener Europe a top priority, today. #europeofcities #europe #greenspaces #sustainability #urbangreening #biodiversity #climatechange #airpollutioncontrol

Register for Global Network of Learning Cities webinar ‘Building capacities for an eco-friendly future: the importance of green skills’!

The winners of the 🇪🇺 Green Cities Awards have been announced! Congratulations to the 2025 #EUGreenCapital 🇱🇹 Vilnius, and to the #EUGreenLeaf winners 🇮🇹 Treviso and 🇪🇸 Viladecans 🎉 These awards recognise the remarkable environmental efforts and achievements of cities and towns across several indicators: ☁️ Air quality 💧 Water 🐝 Biodiversity and nature ⚡ Energy performance 🌍 #ClimateChange mitigation & adaptation 🔊 Noise ♻️ #CircularEconomy With over 70% of Europeans living in urban areas, cities play an important role in the environmental and economic transformation. That is why the #EUGreenDeal supports efforts to make cities greener and healthier 👉 https://europa.eu/!XKTwrJ