Webinar on Quantifying Emissions (GHGs and SLCPs) from the Urban Infrastructures (Transport, Water, Wastewater, and Waste Management)

As non-state actors, cities play an important role in achieving Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets through transformative actions that address climate mitigation, urban resilience, and Sustainable Development Goals. The Sixth Assessment Report of the Summary for Policymakers, which is published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), states that the global model consumption-based urban emissions will increase by 29 GtCO2-eq and by up to 40 GtCO2-eq in 2050 due to the business-as-usual case or low mitigation efforts. For cities, broad mitigation strategies are found effective in reducing GHG emissions according to the land use, spatial form, level of development, and state of urbanisation of a city. The urban planning and design of cities are central to reducing GHG emissions without reliance simply on technologies and to overcoming the lock-in around urban infrastructure, which can lead to a difference in resource efficiency, energy use, and induced GHG emissions from urban areas. Alternatively, the appropriate planning and design of green infrastructure for new and emerging cities exerts a significant influence on the achievement of a high quality of life, energy-efficient infrastructure and services, and a people-centered urban design.

Quantifying potential savings in GHG emissions through the development of green urban infrastructure is the first step for assessing appropriate mitigation strategies at the city level. The training held on 7 and 8 December by the IGES in capacity building for green urban infrastructure aimed to provide knowledge sharing of the importance of inventory GHG and short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions from urban infrastructure and their contribution to the NDCs. Furthermore, it intended to provide training on capacity building for quantifying GHG and SLCP emissions from the transport, water and wastewater, and municipal solid waste management sectors and its application in Indonesian cities using several tools developed by the IGES. The training was jointly organised with PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur, which was tailored for the Ministry of Public Works and Human Settlement in Indonesia. The participants were expected to gain the ability to conduct analysis or assessment of the impacts of the development of green urban infrastructure on the transport, water and wastewater, and municipal solid waste management sectors on GHG and SLCP emissions in Indonesian cities to contribute to the NDCs.