11. Sustainable cities and communities
More than half of the world’s population now live in urban areas. By 2050, that figure will have risen to 6.5 billion people – two-thirds of all humanity. Extreme poverty is often concentrated in urban spaces, and national and city governments struggle to accommodate the rising population in these areas. Making cities safe and sustainable means ensuring access to safe and affordable housing, and upgrading slum settlements. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces.
Read our stories to learn more about SDG Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities is supported by ABB
News
The city-state intends to use offsets sourced overseas in its national climate targets under the Paris Agreement, and is pursuing bilateral deals to prevent double counting with countries such as Ghana and Vietnam.
The University of Oxford botanist shares how he worked with fellow scientists, park rangers and Indigenous Peoples across Southeast Asia to prove that the rare tropical flower is under threat.
Food & Agriculture
Drought-resilient millet: a pathway to food security in India?
As a nutrient-rich grain that can withstand drought and heat, millet is being promoted across India amid increasing weather extremes – but despite the government’s promotion efforts, demand remains low.
In 2014, the Indian government launched the latest in a long line of projects to clean the Ganga’s waters, but in the city of Varanasi it shows mixed results.
Carbon & Climate
Big tech drags feet on climate disinformation, advocates warn
Carbon & Climate
Greater ambition called for before pivotal COP28 climate talks
Opinion
Unhappiness among villagers in Rempang, close to Batam island, has led to riots in Batam City and threatens existing and future foreign investment.
Carbon & Climate
Exploring the intersection of business and our ecology
Founder and managing director Jessica Cheam investigates the relationship between business and our natural world, and shares about the genesis of Eco-Business in this book chapter contribution to 'Peace and Nature', a book compilation of 50 essays and edited by Professor Tommy Koh, Lye Lin Heng and Shawn Lum launched in Singapore recently.
Southeast Asia must prioritise climate resilience, encompassing adaptation and mitigation. The process must be strategically managed, informed by data and applied across a broad range of solutions.
There is already an existing solution to some of Jakarta’s urban pollution woes, but this requires the present government to more seriously revive and maintain the city’s much-needed green spaces.
Energy
Closing the clean tech gap
Policy & Finance
Rosy unemployment rates mask a grim reality
Videos
Policy & Finance
'Environmental defenders are the glue of the Philippines’ democracy': Delikado director Karl Malakunas
The veteran journalist talks to Eco-Business about how his Emmy-nominated documentary depicts the lives of environmental crusaders in Asia's deadliest country for guardians of the seas and forests.
Policy & Finance
As anti-mining protests heighten in the Philippines, industry observers call for ‘prudence’ in police intervention
Video footage appears to show protestors, who were demonstrating against mining operations, being dragged away by police near Ipilan Nickel Mine in Brooke’s Point, Palawan. Mining insiders are calling for maximum tolerance in similar standoffs.
Policy & Finance
'We are not afraid': Locals in biodiversity-rich Philippine island fight back against nickel mine
Mining operations at Altai Philippines Mining Corporation have been suspended for now, after week-long protests from locals of Sibuyan Island in Romblon, who claimed the extraction of nickel ore will disrupt the island’s intact ecosystems.
After 20 years without electricity, more than 50 households in Cebu's poorest district have been provided with solar energy, financed by carbon offsets.
Podcasts
Food & Agriculture
Dimsum from microbes, anyone?: How alternative proteins are cheaper, tastier and going local
EB Studio
What are the latest trends in the alternative proteins industry today? The Eco-Business podcast discusses new hybrid products, more localised offerings and cheaper prices due to economies of scale.
GoTo sustainability head Tanah Sullivan tells the Eco-Business Podcast that regulating net-zero claims would decarbonise Southeast Asia faster. Indonesia's biggest internet firm aims to cut emissions to zero by 2030 — a target critics say is unrealistic.
Can the hotels sector, traditionally resource-intensive and wasteful, reinvent itself and go green? Eco-Business asks two hospitality executives about balancing post-Covid recovery, and if luxury can be made compatible with sustainability.
EB Studio
The built environment's sprawling carbon footprint can be reined in by giving old buildings a 'climate makeover' as cities grow. The Eco-Business Podcast talks to Vinod Jethani about the benefits and challenges of retrofitting old buildings.
