Closing the Loop: Circularity in the Built-Environment
– Date/Time: October 26, 2021, 16:00 – 17:40 KST （GMT+9)
– Session lead:
- Ms. Christina Cheong, Specialist, Green Cities, GGGI
Industrialization and urbanization have created immense amount of wealth and prosperity in countries around the world. However, the process of wealth creation has also led to the over-exploitation of natural resources with negative consequences for the environment and the communities that directly depend on such natural resources for their livelihoods. This degradation of the natural assets drives greater divisions between the rich and poor, between and within countries. As global population continues to grow, and urban centers expand correspondingly, the demand for material resources also increases. The unabated extraction of raw materials and generation of post-consumer waste products create environmental and public health hazards that degrade the living environment. This is clearly unsustainable, yet the material demand from the expanding built environment has not peaked.
Recycling and reuse are increasingly being introduced in for material and product streams. Likewise in the built environment, the transition from linear to more circular systems is needed to ensure sustainability. Some solutions are presented at this session, with the aim to stimulate explorations into further circularity. Ultimately, the transition away from the use and dispose culture to more circular practices requires much more than technical solutions. The conversation today hopes to accelerate commitment to action for bringing about the circular transition to close material loops in cities and communities.
Agenda Speakers Bio Session PPTs*
* The PPTs are available until 8th January 2022. If you wish to access the PPTs after the date, please contact us at GGGWeek2021@gggi.org.
Key resources:
– GGGI:
- Rwanda organizes Circularity in Built Environment (CBE) validation workshop (link)
– Indian Roads Congress:
- Guidelines on use of waste plastic in hot bituminous mixes. (dry process) in wearing courses (link)
Greening Buildings Infrastructure in Asia: Certification, Partnerships and Finance
– Date/Time: October 27, 2021, 16:00 – 18:00 KST (GMT+9)
– Session leads:
- Mr. Nicholas Simon Taylor, Senior Officer, Green Cities Project Lead (GCF-MMR), Office of IPSD, GGGI
- Ms. Christina Cheong, Specialist, Green Cities, GGGI
Recent guidance on urban development and buildings from the Green Climate Fund has highlighted that improving energy efficiency in the building stock represents an opportunity for a 32% emissions reduction in GHGs until 2030 worldwide. Other key areas for
progress in the built environment include reductions of between 20-40 % in the transport sector, and even 20% savings potential from reducing sprawl to improve urban form. Asia represents the region with the highest potential for improvements. These figures highlight the crucial importance of infrastructure choices made by countries, cities, firms, and individuals in the coming years, both in terms of the quality and choice of infrastructure. Crucially, they highlight the need for tools that can qualify and quantify progress across a highly diverse set of infrastructure types.
The session brought together professionals from the Green Buildings and Infrastructure standards space, and explore key options available to countries, development partners and financing partners, as well as suggest some emergent best practices and tools in the sustainable and resilient infrastructure space.
Agenda Speakers Bio Session PPTs*
* The PPTs are available until 8th January 2022. If you wish to access the PPTs after the date, please contact us at GGGWeek2021@gggi.org.
Key resources:
– The Philippine Green Building Council:
- Building for ecologically responsive design excellence (link)
– Government of Mongolia:
- Action Plan, Green Development Policy of Mongolia(link)
- Mongolia’s nationally determined contribution to the UNFCCC (link)
– Others:
- SuRe® –The Standard for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure (link)
Urban Resilience Building: African Cities’ Green Growth in a changing climate
– Date/Time: October 27, 2021, 13:50 – 16:20 GMT
– Session lead:
- Mr. Romain Brillie, Country Representative – Senegal, GGGI
The world’s cities are hotspots for climate vulnerability. They are also responsible for two-thirds of the world’s overall energy consumption and an estimated 70 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Africa’s urbanization rate among the highest on the planet is projected to accelerate in the coming decades, with the current 1.1 billion population doubling over the next 30 years. More than 80 percent of the increase will occur in Africa’s cities. Urbanized areas exert pressure on already vulnerable populations impacted by lack of access to potable water supply, sanitation and waste management, energy supply, transport infrastructure and services, healthy and hygienic living conditions and climate hazards.
The pandemic has also highlighted the inextricable link between health, the environment and the economy. To regenerate sustainably, and to provide decent, green jobs for all, cities need to invest in a thriving, sustainable economy. Adequate mechanisms therefore need to be put in place to address these challenges. Many African cities have realized the importance of sustainable development, economic prosperity, and quality of life for their urban populations, and have ignited their transition to a model of green, climate resilient growth. This session highlighted concrete examples of cities in transition and will discuss the challenges and opportunities of cities growth across the African continent.
Agenda Speakers Bio Session PPTs*
* The PPTs are available until 8th January 2022. If you wish to access the PPTs after the date, please contact us at GGGWeek2021@gggi.org.
Key resources:
– GGGI:
- Investment Teaser 2021 – Scaling Up Rooftop Solar in Senegal Public Buildings (link)
- BF13 The Social Housing Energy Efficiency Cooling Program (link)
- Rwanda: National Roadmap for Green Secondary City Development (link)
- Evaluation of Green City Strategies (2019) (link)
– Government of Uganda:
- Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy(link)
– Agence marocaine pour l’efficacité énergétique:
- Energy efficiency in buildings(link)
– Tetra Tech International Development:
- Sustainable Urban Economic Development Programme Kenya(link)