5 Ways to Reduce the Drivers of Climate Change

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/03/18/5-ways-reduce-drivers-climate-change?cid=EXT_TWBN_D_EXT


Bus rapid transit has reduced traffic and increased connectivity in Guangzhou, China
Benjamin Arki / Creative Commons

We have to decouple economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim told students in a lecture at Georgetown University on March 18, 2015. He spoke about development challenges created by climate change and actions to reduce the drivers of climate change and the impact.

Climate change is fundamentally a development issue. It threatens to exacerbate poverty and hurt economic growth. At the same time, how countries grow and the investments they make to meet the energy, food and water needs of an expanding population can fuel climate change, raising risks worldwide, or contribute to solutions.

In a lecture to students at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., on March 18, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim laid out five key areas where policies and growth choices can help reduce the drivers of climate change.

“We have to keep the economy growing – there is no turning back on growth,” President Kim told the student audience. “What we have to do is decouple growth from carbon emissions.”

Put a price on carbon

Cutting emissions starts with clear policy signals.

Carbon pricing systems – such as emissions trading systems that cap emissions or carbon taxes that charge per ton – send a long-term signal to companies by creating an incentive to reduce polluting behaviors and to invest in cleaner energy choices and low-carbon innovation.

Close to 40 countries and more than 20 cities, states and provinces now have or are preparing to implement carbon pricing through emissions trading systems or carbon taxes, and their numbers are growing. Korea launched the newest carbon market in January. China, with seven pilot carbon markets in cities and provinces, saw its emissions drop last year and plans to launch a national emissions trading system as early as 2016.

“A price on carbon is the single most important thing we have to get out of a Paris agreement. It will unleash market forces,” President Kim said when asked about expectations for the international climate agreement expected in December 2015 in Paris.

End fossil fuel subsidies

Fossil fuel subsidies send a different signal – one that can encourage waste and discourage low-carbon growth. By phasing out harmful fossil fuel subsidies, countries can reallocate their spending to where it is most needed and most effective, including proving targeted support for the poor.

Nearly $550 billion went into direct fossil fuel subsidies worldwide in 2013, taking up large percentages of some countries’ GDP to artificially lower energy prices. Yet, “the evidence shows that fossil fuel subsidies are not at all about protecting the poor,” President Kim said. Studies show the wealthiest 20 percent of the population captures six times the benefit from fossil fuel subsidies as the poorest 20 percent.

Reforming subsidies is never easy. Often, the population is unaware of the true costs of energy, and support for the poor must be phased in as the subsidies are phased out. The World Bank is providing support for fossil fuel subsidies reform through a $20 million facility that will help countries design and implement subsidy reform and accompanying social protection systems.

Build low-carbon, resilient cities

Getting prices right is one part of the equation. Another piece is building a sustainable future, because all development happens in the context of climate change.

There will be more infrastructure built in the next 20 years than in the past 6,000, the president told the audience.  Cities are growing fast, particularly in the developing world. Just over half the global population is urban today; by 2050, cities are expected to hold two-thirds of the world population.

With careful planning of transportation and land use, and the establishment of energy efficiency standards, cities can build in ways that avoid locking in unsustainable patterns. They can open up access to jobs and opportunity for the poor and reduce damaging air pollution.

Financing that growth to be sustainable can be a challenge, though. Data show that only about 4 percent of the 500 largest developing countries cities are deemed creditworthy in international markets. The World Bank Group is helping cities improve their strategic planning and fix the financial fundamentals that can prevent them from accessing finance.

Increase energy efficiency and use of renewable energy

When we talk about energy, we have to talk about access. Worldwide, about 1.2 billion people lack access to electricity and 2.8 billion rely on solid fuels for cooking, such as wood, charcoal, and coal, which cause harmful indoor air pollution.

Through the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, the World Bank Group supports three goals for 2030: to achieve universal access to modern energy, double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency, and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Energy efficiency improvements are crucial. Every gigawatt saved is a gigawatt that didn’t have to be produced. Globally, energy use is about one-third lower today than it would have been without the past 20 years of energy efficiency improvements.

Renewable energy, meanwhile, is becoming increasingly affordable as prices fall. In many countries, developing utility-scale renewable energy is now cheaper than or on par with fossil fuel plants.

Implement climate-smart agriculture and nurture forest landscapes

The fifth area for action takes in both mitigation and adaptation. Climate-smart agriculture techniques help farmers increase their farms’ productivity and resilience to the impacts of climate change, such as droughts, while also creating carbon sinks that help reduce net emissions. Forests, too, are valuable carbon sinks that absorb carbon and store it in soils, trees, and foliage.

Attacking climate change in all that we do

Global efforts to reduce emissions are having an effect. Last week, the chief economist of the International Energy Agency announced that global CO2 emissions had been flat in 2014 for the first time in four decades without an accompanying economic downturn, while the global economy grew by 3 percent.

“Is this the beginning of decoupling carbon emissions from growth? We sure hope so,” President Kim said.

Even if we do all of this successfully, we will still see changes, the president said. Scientists believe that about 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming is already locked in through the amount of greenhouse gas emitted and expected in the coming years, so the world will have to adapt while bringing down emissions.

That means building resilience into all development and increasing financial support for preparedness and prevention.

As a major provider of finance, the World Bank Group invests in disaster preparedness, renewable energy, energy efficiency, city planning and development, and providing decision-makers with the tools and data they need to make informed decisions. It tracking financial commitments for climate mitigation adaptation co-benefits, screens for disaster and climate risk, and uses greenhouse gas accounting and a price on carbon.

 “What we really want to do is see how we can attack this problem in just about everything we do,” the president said.

How Costa Rica went 75 days without using fossil fuels for electricity

http://www.vox.com/2015/3/25/8288259/costa-rica-renewables
by Brad Plumer


Rio Aguajitas, Costa Rica
Trish Hartmann/Flickr

If the world ever wants to slow the pace of global warming, we'll likely have to use far fewer fossil fuels and far more renewables.

That's why tiny Costa Rica has been getting so much attention of late — the country recently announced it went the first 75 days of the year using no fossil fuels whatsoever for electricity.

That's right: 100 percent of Costa Rica's electricity came from renewable power in January, February, and half of March, mainly from hydropower and geothermal plants. Most notably, heavy rains helped four big hydroelectric dams run above their usual capacity, allowing the country to make do without fossil-fuel generators. (This was only for electricity; Costa Rica's cars were still running on gasoline.)

It's an impressive feat — and a nice illustration of Costa Rica's incredibly ambitious environmental plans. At the same time, a closer look at the story shows just how difficult it would be for other countries to pull off something similar.

Most of Costa Rica's electricity is from hydro and geothermal

When many people think of "renewables," they tend to think of wind turbines or gleaming solar panels. But that's not what Costa Rica's relying on.

For years, roughly 80 percent of the nation's electricity has come from an old-fashioned technology — hydroelectric dams. Unlike wind or solar, hydropower can run at all hours, making it quite reliable. But the output of these dams also fluctuates with the weather, since you need enough water to keep the turbines spinning.

Back in 2014, Costa Rica suffered a brutal drought, and the dams produced less power, forcing grid operators to rely more heavily on diesel generators. In 2015, by contrast, the country experienced above-average rainfall at its four biggest reservoirs, allowing those hydroelectric dams to meet virtually all of the country's electricity needs.

Another 12 percent or so of Costa Rica's electricity comes from geothermal plants — power plants that tap heat deep in the Earth's crust. In 2014, after the drought, the nation's legislature approved a $958 million geothermal plant, backed by loans from Europe and Japan, that's now up and running. They also played a key role this year.

The remainder of Costa Rica's electricity needs were supplied by wind — which normally makes up about 2 percent of generation — a smaller amount of biomass, and a very minuscule bit of solar.

It's worth emphasizing that it was only Costa Rica's electricity that was coming from 100 percent renewable sources. The nation of 5.7 million people still has plenty of cars, which mostly run on gasoline. It also has two large cement plants that burn coal and petroleum coke in their kilns, producing carbon dioxide emissions.

It's also important to note that Costa Rica is still a very poor country and its per capita electricity consumption is about one-quarter that of, say, France or Belgium. If Costa Rica was richer and used more electricity, then its hydropower and geothermal plants wouldn't be enough to supply all of its needs.

Even so, this year's feat is a reflection of Costa Rica's environmental ambitions. Its state-run utility is currently building dozens of wind farms and small dams around the country, with the aim of zeroing out the use of all fossil fuels for electricity — forever. The country is also planning to balance out other emissions with a program to protect its rainforests and plant more trees. The aim? To become carbon-neutral by 2021.

Why it's harder for other countries to do what Costa Rica did

the Itaipú hydroelectric dam, on the Parana river, Alto Parana, in the Paraguay-Brazil border, which supplies Paraguay's electricity. (Norberto Duarte/AFP/Getty Images)

So if Costa Rica can go 100 percent renewable, why can't other countries do the same?

One obstacle is that the availability of hydropower and geothermal depends on location, and only a few nations are lucky enough to have such rich resources. Iceland gets nearly 100 percent of its electricity from those two sources. Paraguay gets almost all of its electricity from the massive Itaipú Dam. Brazil gets more than 75 percent of its power from hydropower. But those are exceptions. For most countries, hydropower is just one option among many.

The United States, for example, has already dammed up most of its suitable large rivers and still only gets 7 percent of its electricity from hydro. We could maybe eke out another 1 percent by retrofitting smaller dams that don't have power plants, but there's an upper limit here:

As for geothermal, the US could arguably do more to harvest heat deep beneath the ground — we currently only get about 0.41 percent of our electricity from this. But that's also limited by location. It could be a boon for states like California, less so for Wisconsin:

Accessible geothermal resources suitable for electric power production, direct-use systems, and GHP systems in the United States. Adapted from Geothermal: The energy under our feet (NREL, 2006).

Most other countries find themselves in similar situations. Hydropower already provides 16 percent of the world's electricity. In theory, we could try to double this by damming up every last big river on Earth, but that could end up displacing millions of people, destroying habitats, and, in some cases, exacerbating climate change (decaying vegetation in poorly built dams can lead to extra methane emissions). Not so easy to do.

Which means that for most countries, clean energy will largely entail things like solar power and wind power (fast-growing but still a tiny source of electricity worldwide, and faces questions about intermittency). Or nuclear power (reliable but expensive and dogged by concerns about waste). Or fossil-fuel plants that can capture their carbon dioxide emissions and bury them underground (expensive and not yet commercialized).

This isn't impossible, and there are lots of good success stories there — the cost of wind and solar, in particular, have been tumbling all over the world. But it hasn't been easy. There's a good reason why fossil fuels still provide about 87 percent of the world's energy, a fraction that hasn't budged for over a decade. Coal, oil, and gas are environmentally destructive, yes, but also cheap and convenient.

So most countries won't be able to follow the exact same path Costa Rica did. They'll have to find their own ways to clean up.

Further reading

We're damming up every last big river on Earth. Is that really a good idea?

The costs of solar and wind keep dropping around the world.

Clean energy is growing worldwide. But fossil fuels have grown even faster.

Some highlights:

Fossil fuels: When fossil fuels are burned for energy, that produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Roughly 25 percent of man-made greenhouse gases came from burning coal, 19 percent from the use of natural gas, and 21 percent from oil.

Land-use change: 15 percent of man-made emissions came from land-use changes. Forests, for instance, absorb carbon-dioxide — so if they're cut down and burned for farmland, that increases emissions in the atmosphere.

Agriculture: Another 7 percent of man-made emissions come from agricultural sources — methane emissions from livestock, say, or changes in the amount of carbon stored in soil.

The world’s top five greenhouse-gas emitters in 2009 were China, the United States, India, Russia, and Japan. There are many more charts — breaking things down by per capita emissions and historical responsibility — here.

Where do greenhouse-gas emissions come from?

The Earth already had greenhouse gases in its atmosphere before humans ever came along, as part of the natural carbon cycle.

But since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been adding even more carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. That's through activities such as burning fossil fuels or clearing forests. Carbon dioxide is the most important of these gases and typically persists in the atmosphere for centuries.

This chart from Ecofys breaks down the major sources of man-made greenhouse-gas emissions in 2010:

Some highlights:

Fossil fuels: When fossil fuels are burned for energy, that produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Roughly 25 percent of man-made greenhouse gases came from burning coal, 19 percent from the use of natural gas, and 21 percent from oil.

Land-use change: 15 percent of man-made emissions came from land-use changes. Forests, for instance, absorb carbon-dioxide — so if they're cut down and burned for farmland, that increases emissions in the atmosphere.

Agriculture: Another 7 percent of man-made emissions come from agricultural sources — methane emissions from livestock, say, or changes in the amount of carbon stored in soil.

The world’s top five greenhouse-gas emitters in 2009 were China, the United States, India, Russia, and Japan. There are many more charts — breaking things down by per capita emissions and historical responsibility — here.

WATCH: 'A visual tour of the world's CO2 emissions'

MENGENAL INSTALASI PENGOLAHAN AIR LIMBAH (IPAL) KOMUNAL

https://dwikusumadpu.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/mengenal-instalasi-pengolahan-air-limbah-ipal-rumah-tangga/


Gambar 1. Instalasi Pengolahan Air Limbah (IPAL) Komunal

Dalam rangka mendukung upaya pencapaian salah satu target Millennium Development Goals pada tahun 2015, yaitu menurunkan sebesar 50% dari jumlah penduduk  yang belum memiliki akses air minum dan sanitasi dasar juga penyehatan lingkungan. Pemerintah dalam hal ini Kementerian Pekerjaan Umum melalui Dirjen Cipta Karya mendorong Program Sanitasi Perkotaan Berbasis Masyarakat yang merupakan kegiatan pendukung percepatan pencapaian MDG’s.

Program Sanitasi Perkotaan Berbasis Masyarakat merupakan salah satu Komponen Program Urban Sanitation and Rural Infrastructure (USRI) yang diselenggarakan sebagai salah satu Program Pendukung PNPM Mandiri. Dalam penyelenggaraannya, kegiatan ini menekankan pada keterlibatan masyarakat secara utuh dalam hal peningkatan kualitas prasarana dan sarana sanitasi di perkotaan.

Air limbah berupa black water yang berisi kotoran akan berakhir di septic tank. Walaupun jarang kita sadari, peran septic tank  sangat penting dalam keberlangsungan aktivitas di rumah. Beberapa masalah yang cukup mengganggu seputar kamar mandi dan wc yang akan kita gunakan setiap harinya sering timbul dari septic tank. Untuk itu, septic tank haruslah dipilih dengan cermat sesuai dengan kebutuhan rumah anda.

Beberapa jenis septic tank dan cara kerjanya yang dapat menjadi pertimbangan anda adalah sebagai berikut:

1. Septic Tank Konvensional
Septic tank model ini menampung dan mengendapkan limbah dan membiarkannya terurai oleh  bakteri. Cairan hasil akhir dari tangki akan diendapkan ke tanah memalui resapan khusus. Secara berkala (5 tahun) septic tank ini akan penuh dan harus disedot. Jenis septic tank ini paling banyak digunakan masyarakat kita, pengalaman berharga pernah saya dapatkan dari teman yang menimba ilmu di Magister  TPLP ITS Surabaya, ternyata pemahaman masyarakat kita bahwa septic tank yang mereka gunakan itu ngga perlu disedot atau dikuras karena limbah akan menjadi tanah. Pemahaman ini salah besar, karena limbah yang mengendap tetaplah limbah. Tidak bisa menjadi tanah. Jika disinkronkan dengan ilmu geologi, batuan dan tanah, memang sangat jauh berbeda asal mula terbentuknya tanah.  Memang, sepintas endapan limbah yang berada di dalam septic tank menyerupai tanah. Namun limbah ini bukanlah tanah, idealnya dilakukan menguras atau menyedot  septic tank dalam kurun waktu 5 tahun. Apabila tidak maka dikhawatirkan bakteri e-coli akan mencemari tanah dan air di lingkungan sekitar kita.

2. Septic Tank Biologis
Pada septic tank biologis, limbah akan terurai sampai aman untuk dimanfaatkan kembali. Saat ini ada beberapa jenis septic tank biologis yaitu:

a. Septic tank berbahan fiberglass
Septic tank jenis ini terdiri 3 bagian dengan fungsi yang berbeda-beda. Air limbah yang masuk ke septic tank ini akan masuk pada bagian pertama, kemudian disaring dan dialirkan ke bagian kedua. Pada bagian kedua  limbah diurai oleh bakteri dan dialirka ke bagian ketiga untuk diurai lebih lanjut. Sisa pengeluaran dari bagian ketiga akan dialirkan ke luar melalui saluran drainase umum setelah melalui tabung disenfektan yang membersihkan hama limbah sehingga aman terhadap lingkungan.

b.Septic tank berbahan Beton

Gambar 2. Potongan Memanjang IPAL KOMUNAL

Septic tank jenis ini terbuat dari beton yang juga terdiri dari beberapa bagian tapi dengan proses yang sedikit berbeda dengan septic tank berbahan fiberglass. Pada septic tank jenis ini limbah yang masuk bagian pertama akan disaring untuk memisahkan kotoran dengan air. Limbah padat diendapkan yang secara berkala diperlukan penyedotan untuk mengambil endapan limbah tersebut. Sedangkan air/cairannya dialirkan ke bagian kedua untuk diproses oleh mikroorganisme. Kemudian dialirkan kembali ke bagian selanjutnya begitu seterusnya hingga pada bagian akhir yang berisi filter berupa batuanvulcano, kemudian siap dialirkan ke drainase kota dengan aman. Pada septic tank ini setiap bagian atasnya diberi mainhole yang dapat dibuka pada saat perawatan atau penyedot limbah padatnya.

Gambar 3. Bagian Dalam IPAL KOMUNAL

Bangunan pengolahan limbah berfungsi menampung limbah rumah tangga secara komunal yang dialirkan melalui sistem perpipaan. Sistem ini membutuhkan bak kontrol tiap 20 meter dan pada titik-titik pertemuan saluran.

Gambar4. Bagian Dalam Bak Kontrol

Keunggulan Instalasi Pengolahan Air Limbah (IPAL) Komunal:
1. Lahan yang dibutuhkan sedikit karena dibangun di bawah tanah
2. Biaya pengoperasian dan perawatan mudah dan mudah
3. Efisiensi pengolahan limbah tinggi

Kelemahan Instalasi Pengolahan Air Limbah (IPAL) Komunal:
1. Biaya konstruksi bisa menjadi besar jika bahan filter tidak ada di sekitar.
2. Diperlukan tenaga ahli untuk design dan pengawasan pembangunan konstruksi IPAL.
3. Diperlukan tukang ahli untuk pekerjaan plester berkualitas tinggi (mencegah bocor/rembes)

Modernizing District Energy Systems Could Reduce Heating and Cooling Primary Energy Consumption by up to 50% finds New Report

http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=2818&ArticleID=11153

Reducing Cities' Heating and Cooling Energy Consumption Key to Keeping Global Temperature Rise to 2°C



Nairobi, 25 February 2015 - A transition to modern district energy systems could contribute to 60 per cent of required energy sector emissions reductions by 2050, and reduce primary energy consumption by up to 50 per cent, according to a new report launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (C2E2), ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, and UN-Habitat.

With cities accounting for 70 per cent of global energy use and for 40-50 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, District Energy in Cities: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, reveals how local authorities and national governments can develop energy-efficient, climate-resilient and affordable district energy systems as one of the most cost-effective and efficient solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and primary energy demand, and for helping to keep global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

District energy systems can also contribute to the green economy transition through cost savings from avoided or deferred investment in power-generation infrastructure and peak capacity; wealth creation through reduced fossil fuel expenditure, local tax revenue; and employment.

"Our response and our ability to keep the world within a 2°C scenario, has led us to focus on district energy in cities. These are practical, reliable, bring benefits to consumers and they generate benefits in terms of our response to climate change," said Achim Steiner, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNEP.

"In launching this report, we want to draw attention of the world's decision makers, mayors, leaders at the community level, to the importance of district energy systems and hopefully through the lessons learnt in many parts of the world, ensure that this is yet one more element of our response that will allow us to practice and draw upon solutions already in place, proven and part of the transition to a green economy."

Currently, heating and cooling, of space and water, account for half of the energy consumption in some cities, with systemic inefficiencies incurring massive economic and social costs, and acting as a major barrier to universal access to modern energy.

Cooling demand in particular is growing worldwide, spending on energy services is increasing. According to the International Energy Agency, energy consumption for space cooling increased 60 per cent globally from 2000 to 2010, and is set to expand by 625 per cent by 2050 in selected regions of Asia and Latin America.

District energy systems - which pipe steam, hot water or cold water around a city from a central location for use in buildings - are being used in a variety of cities worldwide because of their higher energy efficiency which can significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of cooling and heating. This can result in improved air quality, and, where district systems use renewable power sources, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and energy imports, increasing the resilience of cities to fuel price shocks.

The city of St Paul, Minnesota, USA, for example, uses district energy fuelled by municipal wood waste to displace 275,000 tons of coal annually and to keep US$12 million in energy expenses circulating in the local economy. And in Toronto, Canada, the extraction of lake water for district cooling reduces electricity use for cooling by 90 per cent, earning the city US$89 million from selling a 43 per cent share in its district energy systems, which it could use to fund other sustainable infrastructure development. Paris, France, is providing cheaper, more renewable heat through district heating and, by owning a third of its district heating company, also benefits from an annual dividend of $US 2.6 million and an annual concession fee of $US 9.1 million.

"Cities are crucial partners in making Sustainable Energy for All a reality. With their help we can change the environment, change the way we produce and use energy and at the same time significantly mitigate climate change, accelerate economic development, reduce environmental pollution and alleviate extreme poverty and thereby making cities a lot more resilient," said Kandeh Yumkella, UN Under-Secretary-General, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and CEO of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative.

Through an analysis of the 45 'champion cities', which have collectively installed more than 36 GW of district heating capacity (equivalent to 3.6 million households), 6 GW of district cooling capacity (equivalent to 600,000 households) and 12,000 km of district energy networks, the report finds that while contributions of district energy are significant and growing, the full potential of these systems remains largely untapped, with significant opportunities existing for growth, refurbishment and new development.

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, known as GIFT City, India, is developing the country's first district cooling system, which could reduce electricity demand for cooling by 65-80 per cent. Yerevan, Armenia, is retrofitting and modernizing its district heating systems, which historically had losses as high as 50 per cent. After the first phase of refurbishment, 10,000 residents were reconnected, reducing energy consumption by 50.2 GWh annually and providing heat at cheaper rates than with residential gas boilers. While a Booz & Company 2012 study of the Gulf countries found that district cooling could provide 30 per cent of forecasted cooling needs by 2030, avoiding 20 GW of new power capacity and 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in fuel.

Local governments are uniquely positioned to advance district energy systems in their various capacities as planners and regulators, as facilitators of finance, as role models and advocates, and as large consumers of energy and providers of infrastructure and services (e.g., energy, transport, housing, waste collection, and wastewater treatment). For example, in 2012 alone, the Greater London Authority's integrated energy and land-use planning policy resulted in US$213 million of investment in heat network infrastructure.

The policy options available to cities often are influenced by national frameworks and the extent of devolved authority. This publication outlines the policy best practices that local governments can use within these four broad capacities, accounting for diverse national frameworks.

To facilitate the transition to modern district energy systems, UNEP has launched a new initiative on District Energy in Cities, as the implementing mechanism for the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) District Energy accelerator. As part of this initiative UNEP has developed a policy and investment road map comprising 10 key steps to accelerate the development, modernization and scale-up of district energy in cities.

A decision tree, developed as an outcome of this publication and of the exchanges with the 45 champion cities, will guide cities through these various stages and highlight tools and best practices that could be available to local governments in their roles as planner and regulator, facilitator, provider and consumer, coordinator and advocate. Twinning between cities - matching champion ones with learning ones - will be a key component of the new district energy initiative led by UNEP.

Notes to Editors

One of the three objectives of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative is the doubling of the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030. The Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform was established to help reach this objective, by supporting accelerated action to improve energy efficiency in specific sectors, such as district energy, lighting, appliances, vehicle efficiency, buildings or industry. The Global Initiative on District Energy in Cities is the implementation mechanism for the SE4ALL District Energy Accelerator.

Additional quotes

"Today, cities account for over 70 per cent of global energy consumption. This asks for a swift and sustainable transition in urban heating, cooling and electricity.With the publication of District Energy in Cities: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy cities get practical guidance on how to achieve this transition while increasing reliability of energy supply, saving money, creating jobs and decreasing emissions. Being a lead partner of the initiative, ICLEI offers support to cities interested in successfully managing their versatile and crucial role for delivery on the ground - from integrated urban and energy planning to bringing stakeholders together- to harness the multiple benefits of district energy in cities," Gino Van Begin, Secretary General, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability.

"The District Energy in Cities: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy publication offers essential information and practical guidance to any city interested in a local low-emission energy supply mix. The City of Seoul is honoured to be a contributor to this handbook as well as the Accelerator platform, hoping for other local governments to also start applying district energy in their communities," Park Won-soon,Mayor of Seoul, South Korea.

"It is an honour for Sonderborg with our ProjectZero transition project to be featured as district heating champion city in the UNEP publication. Green district heating is the backbone for our ZEROcarbon goal and we are grateful to inspire other cities. The publication is a great tool for every city that wants to meet ambitious carbon targets and they are all welcome to visit Sonderborg - as seeing is believing," Erik Lauritzen, Mayor of Sonderborg, Denmark.

"The need for cities and towns to become more sustainable and to reduce their carbon emissions is imperative as urban populations grow rapidly. Leaders of many municipalities are already showing strong initiative to improve the lifestyles and livelihoods of their citizens while improving the environment, both locally and globally. District Energy in Cities: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy highlights key technology options available to communities to provide heating and cooling services in a cost-effective manner and with low environmental impacts. The findings of this report should be studied carefully by all policymakers and private developers who are endeavouring to achieve a more sustainable future," Ralph Sims, professor at Massey University, New Zealand, and member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility.

"District Energy in Cities: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is a timely, comprehensive and useful knowledge tool. An essential part of the agenda for sustainable cities, district heating and cooling offer a tremendous, cost-effective opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving energy security and providing affordable energy solutions for residents. This publication provides a pragmatic, high-level analysis of major issues - including technological solutions, costs, business models, and the roles and capacities of the public and private sectors - and offers the way forward. It includes an extremely useful set of nearly 40 specific, practical examples of best practices from around the world. Overall, the District Energy in Cities Initiative offers a great platform for cooperation among cities, the private sector and multilateral development institutions," Alexander Sharabaroff, Operations Officer (Energy), International Finance Corporation.

"With the publication of District Energy in Cities: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, UNEP has made a hugely valuable contribution to the climate and energy debate. Not only does it rightly identify the specific challenge of supplying low carbon heat to the urban environment as a necessary element of the general energy transition, it provides highly practical advice and analysis for policy-makers on how this can be achieved. An elegant demonstration of the value of thinking globally while acting locally, UNEP's effort to drive emergence of District Energy as a solution for cities is the right initiative at the right moment!" -Paul Voss, Managing Director, Euroheat & Power.

"District Energy in Cities: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy provides a critical set of information to cities as they develop action plans to meet sustainability, energy and climate goals. By providing thoughtful analysis of both key barriers and successful best practices, this handbook helps decision makers quickly identify important issues and successful tactics from peer cities as they move forward with district energy. The District Energy Accelerator is a valuable platform to advance district energy through resources such as this and by connecting stakeholders for greater collaboration," Katrina Pielli, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.

"We very much support UNEP's work on District Energy in Cities - this publication shows that energy-efficient district energy systems as basis for climate mitigation and socio-economic benefits are not a question of technology. It is a question of forward-looking and sustainable city planning. It is a question of always looking for solutions. And cities show that they are already today the pragmatic implementers of this technology. This publication is clearly a guide for all mayors that want their city to be at the forefront of low-carbon development for healthy and liveable cities. Danfoss invites all interested private sector actors to join the District Energy in Cities Initiative and support the dissemination of this knowledge and transfer of technical expertise in cities and countries worldwide," Niels B. Christiansen, Danfoss CEO.

Download the full report at www.unep.org/energy/des

For more information please contact:

Shereen Zorba, Head of News and Media, UNEP

+254 788 526000, Shereen.Zorba@unep.org

Niamh Brannigan, News Desk, UNEP

+254 7177 33348, unepnewsdesk@unep.org