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
Carbon & Climate
Why isn’t China’s emissions growth slowing like its GDP?
Despite slowing GDP growth, coal consumption is on the up, largely due to a failure to improve energy efficiency.
Policy & Finance
Revealed: UK ‘double counting’ £500m of aid for war-torn countries as climate finance
The UK government has reclassified nearly £500m of aid for war-torn and impoverished countries as “climate finance”, in a bid to meet its international commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Kuala Selat village lies on the coast of Indragiri Hilir district on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In the first half of the year, residents of the village arrange buckets and drums to collect rainwater to meet their daily needs. They will then stockpile water to last through the dry months from June to September, but a longer dry spell has led to an acute shortage of water.
Carbon & Climate
Why does the EU want to quit the Energy Charter Treaty?
European lawmakers have backed plans for the EU to exit a treaty that lets fossil fuel firms sue when climate policies hit profits.
Policy & Finance
Q&A: Climate finance at World Bank and IMF spring meetings 2024
Carbon & Climate
Perfect storm: How climate change amplifies El Niño fallout
Green Buildings
Cooling down urban campuses: Can AI do it in a sustainable way?
Opinion
Policy & Finance
What a climate-aligned IMF would look like
As the only multilateral institution charged with maintaining global financial and fiscal stability, the IMF’s role is critical for addressing climate change.
Carbon & Climate
The ozone layer’s recovery shows how to protect the planet
To restore Earth’s stability, governments must recognise the need to respect the nine planetary boundaries. This requires a steadfast commitment to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and protecting biodiversity and water resources.
Policy & Finance
Overcoming the development-project implementation gap
New research by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) shows that disbursing International Development Association (IDA) funds to projects that positively affect people’s lives must overcome major barriers.
Policy & Finance
The World Bank and IMF must put a value on clean air
Air pollution is a 'silent killer', say former New Zealand PM and former WHO chief scientist.
Carbon & Climate
Taxing polluters is the key to climate justice
Videos
Exclusive
Jack Johnson says yes, but it is a long road ahead. In this exclusive interview, we ask the American singer-songwriter and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador about his hopes for the state of the world and how music plays a role in providing a dose of optimism in dark times.
Launched as policymakers lock horns with petrochemicals lobbyists over a treaty to end plastic pollution, the documentary produced by Eco-Business asks why opportunities to solve humanity's waste crisis are being wasted. It will premiere in Singapore and screen on the sidelines of the upcoming COP28 climate summit.
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.
Podcasts
EB Studio
Already a serious issue facing Asia Pacific, water security will continue to worsen in lockstep with climate change in the region. This is what Xylem is trying to solve through its mission and corporate purpose, Chong Hin Koh tells the Eco-Business podcast.
Policy & Finance
‘Never give in to fear’: Nobel peace prize nominee and Filipino Indigenous leader Vicky Tauli Corpuz
In celebration of Indigenous Peoples' month in the Philippines, the former United Nations special rapporteur tells the Eco-Business Podcast about her lifelong work to empower communities in Asia’s most dangerous country for environmental defenders.
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.
