Cities – Good for the Environment?

Cities have played a huge role in human development over millennia, shaping the environment and the earth’s climate system for many years. Over the last 200 years, the rate of impact has accelerated. The Industrial Revolution changed the way we use resources, and resource use has continued to grow. We are still in the fourth phase, which is marked by emerging technology breakthroughs in a number of fields. The present economic system is based on consumerism and economic growth. The global population has continued to grow. Urbanization has increased, with now more than half of the global human population living in cities. This is forecast to grow to 70 percent of the global population by 2050. To improve the environmental performance of cities, we will need smart solutions for energy, transport and resource use. Cities must have a low environmental footprint. This will require smart solutions and a change in lifestyles. Future cities must focus on human well-being, and our environmentally (and socially) destructive consumerist lifestyle. Current generations have no right to trash the planet and deny opportunities for other species.