COP29 - Urbanization, Transport and Tourism

Read further for a recap of the main takeaways.

Urbanization

• Construction is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases globally.  More sustainable architecture is needed to reduce the 40% contribution to global emissions that the creation, running and dismantling of buildings creates
• The UK is aiming to create net-zero standards for buildings and to align building projects with the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C
• The importance of solar energy for sustainable development was emphasized by Kriti Vardhan Singh, the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. This would range from rooftop installations in urban areas to large-scale solar parks, which can be integrated into urban planning and development
• The UK has pledged GBP 79 million to support energy transition projects in developing countries, as part of their broader pledge to spend GBP 11.6 billion in climate finance up to 2026. The allocated funds will be directed towards advancements in low-carbon technologies, energy storage, zero-emission generators, and clean transportation. In particular, the investment will support innovations aimed at decarbonizing the steel, chemicals, cement, and concrete sectors.

Transport

• China is expected to be ahead of their target to achieve their goal of electric vehicles accounting for half of their car sales by 2035
• Brazil announced their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 59-67% by 2035. Brazil will focus on replacing fossil fuels with electricity and biofuels in the transportation sector and investing in sustainable aviation fuel as a "priority issue"
• Through its NDC, and its recent progress in slowing and recovering from deforestation, Brazil hopes to demonstrate that it is possible to achieve urban and agricultural growth by focusing on sustainable development.

Tourism

• As mentioned above, the Baku stadium is set to be powered entirely by renewable energy sources throughout the conference, showing how sustainable tourism is clearly on the agenda for COP29. This is on top of measures which had already been implemented in the vicinity of the stadium, for example looking to use hydrogenated vegetable oil instead of diesel
• Agricultural products and sustainable farming practices can contribute to sustainable tourism
• More than 50 countries have signed a U.N. declaration to make tourism around the globe more climate friendly
• The above declaration was supplemented by several other initiatives, including a framework introduced by the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, a hotel industry organization. This framework is designed to measure and report data on various environmental metrics, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, waste generation, and energy consumption across the sector.

Conclusion

The day's discussions on Urbanization, Transport and Tourism followed a clear trend towards sustainable energy. Yet again, emphasis was placed on transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable resources, with certain countries pledging to reduce emissions in the relevant sectors and strive for a more sustainable future.

Further reading on COP29

COP29