TOWARDS THE LOCALIZATION OF THE SDGs
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4.4
Photo: Mircea Iancu from Pixabay
Protecting the planet, building resilience and ensuring access to sustainable energy
“The battle for the planet will be won or lost in cities”. As already stressed in many UN reports, LRGs have a critical responsibility in actions to combat climate change and protect the environment. As mentioned in previous sections, cities produce more than 75% of greenhouse gas emissions and consume two thirds of the world’s energy. Cities are particularly affected by rising temperatures and the impact of disasters, which affect both their populations and infrastructure and exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. Science
tells us that if we are to prevent global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5 ºC, cities will have to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century.177 The present Subsection aims to introduce concrete practices and policies developed by LRGs to: reduce GHG emissions; foster the transition to renewable energies; strengthen resilience; preserve natural resources and biodiversity; and change their citizens’ attitudes in order to promote more sustainable consumption and production patterns.
