Unleashing the potential of cities for a net-zero future

On Dec 13, 2021, Re:Think 2021 conference was held by the United Nations Development Programme and the Management Committee of Chengdu High-tech Zone, with the support of the China International Center for Economic and Technological Exchanges under the Ministry of Commerce, and the Institute for Sustainable Development Goals of Tsinghua University, under the theme of "innovative pathways towards net-zero cities".

This is the second Re:Think conference, an annual multi-stakeholder innovation event initiated by the UNDP's SPARK SDG innovation Lab in Chengdu.

Beate Trankmann, representative of the United Nations Development Programme in China, said that decarbonizing cities is critical. With 70 percent of emissions coming from cities, they will determine whether we realize a low-carbon future, and mend our relationship with the planet. Following the COP26 climate summit, accelerated action is needed in order to keep global warming within 1.5°C by the end of the century. Ensuring that cities are low-carbon will be critical for countries around the world to meet climate commitments.

Liu Yanhua, former minister of Science and Technology, noted that six provinces, 81 cities, and 52 industrial zones have been designated as low-carbon pilot zones in China. "This is a systematic approach that requires interactions between the government, private sector and society, as well as transformation in manufacturing and lifestyles," said Liu. He also highlighted the value of global cooperation between countries and cities to build on the momentum from COP26.