The city as an alternative for sustainable development
Why would cities be a good alternative for sustainable development? If they are the most complex places where there is mostly a great environmental deterioration and is ensured by economic interests mainly because they are immersed in a world capitalist system that is based on consumerism and waste of resources. Wouldn’t it be easier to promote local development in rural communities? and inciting the population to a way of life in more contact with nature, because historically there is the perception that the uses and customs of indigenous or rural communities are those that protect and use natural resources in a much more appropriate way andResponsible, because not replicating a life model that we already know that works and would help us not have all current environmental problems.
The constitution of cities emerged historically as a social organization in a certain geographical space, being the scene of human activity, perfecting the environment by providing it with better living conditions for its inhabitants, in addition to being a diffuser of culture and knowledge, rearrangement of its immediate environmentAnd distant, in the form of complex urban systems. However, the context in which these societies were formed was considering the inexhaustible provision of sources and deposits, for the possession of human goods and satisfiers, until the last century.
Due to the environmental and social problems that have become evident in much of the planet and that are accelerated and aggravated by the undeniable climate change that has placed us at an irreversible point in various natural phenomena, as a result of the environmental deterioration that threatens survivalof living beings, including our current civilization. Under this need for a social change, the concept of sustainability has gained more strength globally in recent years, so at the international level there has been a call to change and commitment to decrease environmental pollution in all its areas. Assuming this commitment by much of the countries of the world, the cities are called to play a central role, as noted by Maurice Strong, president of the World Summit of Rio, 1992 and one of the founders of the Club of Rome who said “YesSustainable development does not begin in cities, it will simply work. The cities have to mark the course ".
In this essay a total agreement with the idea that cities are one of the best options to initiate a true change towards sustainable development, because these are sites where the greatest amount of environmental problems that are directly relatedWith the demand for goods and services of the current way of life, but at the same time it is where the highest percentage of GDP is generated favoring the world economy and at the same time, this dynamic directly harms the natural sites, which are where much ofthe services that the population demands. In addition, cities are currently centers of constant immigration attraction, because they are perceived as sources of higher quality of life compared to rural communities, in almost all countries of the world. Adding to this is predicted, which by 2050 two thirds of humanity will concentrate in urban areas (UNDP, 2019), in such only 2% of the world territory, so it is necessary to address all these themes in course to aSustainable development worldwide.
Following this position, we present three main ideas to be treated, the number one includes the main problems that are generated in the cities, which have a direct relationship with the effects of climate change, because this phenomenon is the precursor of all alterations thatThe planet will be forecast in the coming years if immediate action measures are not taken and thus seek the survival of living beings, including humans. And at the same time assume responsibility for their acceleration as a rational and thinking species. In number two, the immigration situation that is being given to cities worldwide will be covered, in search of development and various social factors offered by urban centers. The third point to be treated is to know the main regulations or regulations that establish objectives and goals that must be met to carry urban cities towards sustainability.
During the 1970s, several environmental problems were unquestionable and several movements arose for the environment. The obvious environmental degradation and the threat of shortage of resources achieved that the premise is accepted according to which all nations are responsible for their occurrence and especially the first world countries where more resources are demanded to meet the needs of the population thatIt is increasingly agglomerated in urban sites, these being cities forming complex spaces in which multiple forms of social interaction that influence the imbalance and deterioration of its ecosystems are given.
Urban cities are where half of the world population inhabits the United Nations Organization this proportion will amount to 60% by 2030 (Quiroz Benítez, 2013), generating between 60 and 80% of greenhouse gas emissions(GHG) Global (Environmental Services S.A.,2014). In addition, it is necessary to keep in mind that the activities carried out there not only consume, but also discard waste on and outside their limits, due to the linear economy that is implemented, which has been adopted in almost all countries, incorporatingMore favorable elements for climate change.
While there are various methodologies to calculate the GHG emissions produced by cities, it is complexPlaneta, and according to these particular characteristics UN-Habitat establishes that the amount of gases that are emitted in them is differentiated as a result of their specific economic activities and the dynamics of its population, establishing that in the cities of developed countries the countries areThey generate more GHG because the high income of their inhabitants incites consumption, and changes in life styles increase dependence on various energy sources (UN-Habitat, 2009). On the other hand, it is said that worldwide represent 70% of GHG generated in cities (environmental services S.A.,2014). Example of this is the Metropolitan Zone of the Valley of Mexico (ZMVM) that according to the data available allow us to affirm that it issues a total of 58.9 million tons of CO2, which represents 9% of national emissions. Of these, Mexico City, previously DF, issued 36.2 million tons, which is equivalent to 61% of the total. According to emission inventories, the main GHG issuer in the ZMVM is the transport sector, with 43%, then the industrial sector, which contributed 22%, residential 13% and solid waste 11% of emissions in theMEXICO VALLEY (AACM, 2007; PACCM, 2008)
Therefore, the close relationship between cities and climate change and the mitigation that would have to control or decrease these greenhouse gases within the cities considerably benefiting all on the planet is verified.
Another of the issues that favors the growth of cities is the migration from the rural to urban centers, an UN report by the UN report by John Wilmoth, director of the population division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESCAR), who indicates that it is expected that in 2050 there will be 2.5 billion people more residing in urban areas, of which almost 90% will live in cities of Asia and Africa, and in Latin America and the Caribbean are the regions with the greatest41% urbanization rate in 1950 to more than 80% in 2012 (Satient services S.A.,2014). Creating areas where there are higher levels of poverty, segregation and marginalization, as well as greater vulnerability to floods, landscape of land or earthquakes and social phenomena such as higher levels of violence, low school level, inequality etc., but also because they haveLittle appropriate capabilities and resources and reduced access to emergency response systems, aggravating this situation in developing countries.
The world prosticated population growth and the density of the increasing population in these cities reflect the urgent need for the planning of the territory and public policies that help reduce the level of risk in these areas that can suffer more damage and with less resilience capacity for the effects for the effectsof climate change.
For the third point we find the most recent established regulations that promote sustainable cities, which was during 2012 at the Rio+20 Sustainable Development Conference, where a working group was created to develop a set of sustainable development objectives andAfter a year of negotiations, this group presented the recommendation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals with 169 goals raising the 2015-2030 horizon, as one of the 17 promotes sustainable cities and communities, with 10 future goals that should be fulfilledThe 2020, which deal with various themes such as: access to housing and basic services, safe spaces, green areas, protection of the poor and vulnerable, in general they all focused on sustainable development.
Another of the actions for the development of cities was the creation of the World Environment Fund (FMAM) approved in 2015 a new global program to deal with the challenge of a planet in rapid urbanization and the consequent pressure on citiesexisting. With 11 countries and 23 pilot cities participating, the program will have the support of US $ 150 million in donations by the FMAM plus US $ 1.500 million financed by other sources (GEF, 2015). With the objective of attacking the causes of environmental degradation in an integrated way: this program will demonstrate how innovative and high -impact investments can contribute to sustainable cities management, ”said Naoko Ishii, executive director and president of the FMAM.
In addition, the right to the city is also in force, which is considered as an emerging human right in the faceGovernments, social and academic movements, for their decrees of application and insertion in everyday life (Anduaga, 2017). This right was basically done thinking about vulnerable people, who are those suffering from the worst living conditions. The objective of this instrument is to guarantee equal opportunities and that all people have access to an adequate life pattern.
It can be seen that, if there are regulations and interest on the part of international and local rulers for the promotion of sustainable development, due to the great weight they imply in demographic and social issues. Therefore, it can be concluded that in the cities they are places where a large number of environmental problems are generated, and for sustainable development it is necessary to find a balance between the economic, social and environmental, and it does not necessarily have to return to a style ofRural life to not cause the environmental impacts that urbanization brings, rather it has togreater number of people and will bring a greater demand for goods and services.
Although, societies are complex, with the help of the various actors involved, a true change may be made, initiating with awareness and assuming responsibilities from organizations and governments internationally to each of the human beings through environmental education, noticing theobvious deterioration and acceleration that we have made on the planet, to be able to make a better decision -making and agreements by our rulers in favor of all, with clear and precise regulations that do not let this responsibility evade in any of the actors involved, havingA short time span to organize and find solutions that favor the balance between the social, economic and environmental.
Bibliography
- AACM (Environmental Agenda of Mexico City) (2007), Environmental Agenda of Mexico City. 2007-2012 Environment Program, Mexico, Ministry of Environment (SMA), Federal District Government.
- Anduaga, Emanuel.(2017). The right to the city in the Constitution of Mexico City. An interpretation proposal. Retrieved on May 7, 2019, from http: // aldf.Gob.MX/FILE-097A88FCF1C98A0290A78755A98128EC.PDF
- GEF (Global Environment Facility).(2015), FMAM for sustainable cities – new global program is launched to develop and manage cities sustainably. Retrieved on May 7, 2019 from https: // www.Thegef.org/news/fmam-for-cities-sustainable-%e2%80%93-se-lano-new-program-global-for-developed-and-manage
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- PACCM (Climate Action Program of Mexico City) (2008), Pro-Quiroz Benítez, Cities and Climate Change 381 Climate Action Gram of Mexico City, 2008-2012, Mexico, Government of the Federal District (GDF) / Ministry of Environment (SMA).
- Quiroz Benítez, Diana Esmeralda. (2013). Cities and climate change: the case of climate policy of Mexico City. Demographic and urban studies, 28 (2), 343-382. Retrieved on May 8, 2019, from http: // www.Scielo.org.MX/Scielo.PHP?script = sci_arttext & pid = s0186-72102013000200343 & lng = es & tlng = is
- UNDP (United Nations Development Program).(2019).Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved on May 8, 2019, from https: // www.UNDP.org/content/UNDP/es/home/substable-development-goals/goal-11-sustainable-And-And-communities.HTML
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