Mitigation of global warming

Mitigation of global warming involves taking actions aimed at reducing the extent of global warming. This is in contrast to adaptation to global warming which involves taking action to minimize the negative effects of global warming.

for more good info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitigation_of_global_warming

The UN Millennium Development Goals

Circular urban metabolism

Carbon footprint

Carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide or CO₂ emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels; in the case of an organization, business or enterprise, as part of their everyday operations; in the case of an individual or household, as part of their daily lives; or a product or commodity in reaching market. In materials, is essentially a measure of embodied energy, the result of life cycle analysis

A carbon footprint is often expressed as tons of carbon dioxide or tons of carbon emitted, usually on a yearly basis. There are many versions of calculators available for carbon footprinting.

This is directly related to the amount of natural resources consumed, increasingly used or referred to as a measure of environmental impact. Carbon dioxide is recognized as a greenhouse gas, of which increasing levels in the atmosphere are linked to global warming and climate change.

source: wikipedia

Ecological footprint

The phrase "ecological footprint" is a metaphor used to depict the amount of land and area a human population would hypothetically need to provide the resources required to support itself and to absorb its wastes, given prevailing technology. The term was first coined in 1992 by Canadian ecologist and professor at the University of British Columbia, William Rees.

Footprinting is now widely used around the globe as an indicator of environmental sustainability. It can be used to measure and manage the use of resources throughout the economy. It is commonly used to explore the sustainability of individual lifestyles, goods and services, organisations, industry sectors, neighborhoods, cities, regions and nations.

It measures the people's demand on nature and compares human consumption of natural resources with the earth's ecological capacity to regenerate them. Human footprint has exceeded the biocapacity of the planet by 25%.

source: wikipedia

Urban heat island effect

An urban heat island (UHI) is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surroundings. As population centres grow in size from village to town to city, they tend to have a corresponding increase in average temperature, which is more often welcome in winter months than in summertime. The EPA says: "On hot summer days, urban air can be 2-10°F [2-6°C] hotter than the surrounding countryside. Not to be confused with global warming, scientists call this phenomenon the 'urban heat island effect'"

source: wikipedia

Congestion

Congestion is a state of excessive accumulation or overfilling or overcrowding. This general definition is broadly correct across all uses of the word. However in specific contexts the word has a more precise definition and usage.

source: wikipedia

Suburban sprawl

Urban sprawl (also: suburban sprawl) is the spreading out of a city and its suburbs over rural land at the periphery of an urban area. Residents of sprawling neighborhoods tend to live in single-family homes and commute by automobile to work. Low population density is an indicator of sprawl. Urban planners emphasize the qualitative aspects of sprawl such as the lack of transportation options and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods. Conservationists tend to focus on the actual amount of land that has been urbanized by sprawl.

The term urban sprawl generally has negative connotations due to the health and environmental issues that sprawl creates. Residents of sprawling neighborhoods tend to emit more pollution per person and suffer more traffic fatalities. Sprawl is also linked with increased obesity since walking and bicycling are not viable commuting options. Sprawl negatively impacts land and water quantity and quality and may be linked to a decline in social capital. Sprawl is controversial, with supporters claiming that consumers prefer lower density neighborhoods and that sprawl does not necessarily increase traffic.

source: wikipedia

Perlman Principles

1. There can be no global environmental sustainability without urban environmental sustainability.

Circular rather than linear systems: As cities concentrate pollution and environmental degradation, transforming the urban metabolism through circular rather than linear systems is the key to reversing our global environmental deterioration. We need to re-use our water and waste streams, and utilize what is now discarded as productive resource.

2. There can be no urban environmental solution without alleviating urban poverty.

The urban poor tend to occupy the most ecologically fragile areas of our cities, such as steep hillsides, low-lying swamplands, or adjacent to hazardous industries. In addition, their lack of resources often prohibits them from having adequate water, sewage, or solid waste management systems. Without alternative locations to settle and sufficient income to cook and keep warm, their survival will increasingly be pitted against environmental needs.

3. There can be no lasting solutions to poverty or environmental degradation without building on bottom-up, community-based innovations, which are small in scale relative to magnitude of the problems.

The most creative and resource-efficient solutions to urban problems tend to emerge at the grassroots level, closest to the problems being solved. And, without local participation in implementation, even the best ideas are doomed to failure.

4. There can be no impact at the macro level without sharing what works among local leaders and scaling these programs up into public policy where circumstances permit.

While small may be beautiful, it's still small. In order to have meaningful impact, micro-initiatives need to be replicated across neighborhoods and cities through peer-to-peer learning or incorporated into public policy frameworks.

5. There can be no urban transformation without changing the old incentive systems and "rules of the game," and the players at the table.

Since every sector of urban society holds a de facto veto on the others, local innovations can never achieve scale with cross-sectoral partnerships involving government, business, NGOs, academia, media, and grassroots groups. We need to create a climate conducive to experimentation, mutual learning, and collaboration.

6. There can be no sustainable city of the 21st Century without social justice and political participation, as well as economic vitality and ecological regeneration.

Innovations that promote ecological regeneration are just one piece of the puzzle. It is only by seeking out innovations in social equity, participatory democracy, and economic productivity -- and ideally, innovations that possess all four attributes -- that our cities can be truly be sustainable for the 21st Century and beyond