Environment     

China's urban sustainability improving overall

China.org.cn, December 30, 2015

• The average performance of 35 major Chinese cities in terms of sustainable development has improved since last year, according to a report evaluating their ecological and human well-being statistics which was released during the 2015 International Forum on Sustainable Cities in Beijing on Dec. 29.

  Of the 35 cities evaluated in the report, Wuhan, Changsha and five other cities have been able to achieve high human development standards while also minimizing damage to the environment.

  The report revealed that the overall trends are positive, though many cities, particularly outside of the more developed eastern parts of the country, will require more support in their transition to sustainability.

  Commissioned by the United Nations Development Pogramme (UNDP), in association with Xinhua Oriental Outlook Weekly and drafted by an expert team at Tongji University, the report is the first of its kind in China since the recent adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 193 member states of the United Nations (UN) this September.

  "As the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pointed out, our struggle for global sustainability will be won or lost in our cities," said Alain Noudehou, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China during the Forum.

  He hailed the report as a timely effort as "Chinese cities are aligning their local five year plans with the national five year plan. These plans should take a human-centered approach that fosters human development within the ecological limits."

  This year's report extends the previous years' theoretical research by introducing governance as a key component in addition to the three pillars of sustainable development, namely, the economy, society and the environment.

  The event also honored Wuhan and Changsha as "2015 China Sustainable Cities," Chongqing as representing "2015 Good Practice of China Urban Sustainability," and recognized the Solid Waste Management Initiative of Guangzhou and the Vocational Training Initiative of Foshan.

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