In this report, ESCAP explores the future of urbanization in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on the dynamic shifts in the region’s urban landscape. It highlights the region’s demographic transformations, including population ageing, and the persistent challenges of urban poverty and inequality. The analysis covers urban areas of all sizes, …
Changing rainfall pattern part of a trend: Centre for Science & Environment The worst floods in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 60 years and the subsequent devastation are due to a combination of unprecedented and intense rain, mismanagement, unplanned urbanisation and a lack of preparedness, Sunita Narain, director-general, Centre …
Groundwater pollution due to anthropogenic activities may impact overall groundwater quality. Organic and inorganic pollutants have been routinely detected at unsafe levels in groundwater rendering this important drinking water resource practically unusable. Vulnerability of groundwater pollution and subsequent impact has been documented in various studies across the globe. Field studies …
By 2050, around 70% of the world's population of 9,2 billion people is expected to live in an urban environment. Especially in developing countries this increasing population and expanding cities pose great challenges with respect to access to clean drinking water, sanitation, waste water treatment and protection against floods. On …
An Ordinance further to amend the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act, 1977 (Act No. 12 of 1977). This Ordinance may be called the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014.
Noisy planes are a nightmare for people staying near airports and in the vicinity of important flight paths. But that problem will soon get resolved, if the engineers at Trinity College, Dublin have their way. They are working on an EU project that seeks to reduce noise pollution and carbon …
In the last five decades, a total of 4,000 ponds have been filled because of the indiscriminate earth-dumping and unplanned urbanisation As the High Court has given a directive to stop the filling of all kinds of wetland in and around the city Rajshahi, a vested-interested group is using a …
Baglung, Sept 1: Baglung town people are scared of their possible displacement in course of expansion of Mid-Hill Highway – the national pride project of Nepal government. Local denizens have demanded seeking alternative route of the highway stating hundreds of households of municipal area would go displaced if the project-stipulated …
Small Island Developing States are experiencing some of the earliest and most severe impacts of climate change. Through a series of case studies illustrated with compelling satellite imagery, a new publication documents environmental changes in estuaries, mangroves, corals, coastlines and forests; as well as different approaches to land use and …
This handbook provides local policy makers and other interested readers with an overview of climate and carbon finance mechanisms, both existing and in development, and their relevance to the urban context. It has been prepared in response to a recognised need for a user-friendly guide to such mechanisms, their potential …
This briefing paper examines how cities can contribute to bridging the global emissions gap. It finds significant emission reduction potential – up to two-thirds the impact of recent national policies and actions. Specifically, the paper shows that urban actions could decrease global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 3.7 Gt CO2e …
This paper, a contribution to the New Climate Economy project, examines how cities’ economic development strategies are likely to affect global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. City governments are increasingly taking an active role in economic development, working to attract and retain businesses. Urban leaders around the world have different resources, …
New and continued efforts are needed to strengthen and extend the ambition of current national pledges to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to close the gap between the current global emissions pathway and a trajectory consistent with a 2°C target. This paper argues that cities have an important role …
This paper on Urban Poverty in Asia looks at the different dimensions of poverty in Asia, both income and nonincome, its two main regions, including a brief account of who and what class of people are affected most by poverty and deprivation. This paper analyzes the effect of recent urbanization …
The toolkit has been prepared jointly by the Institute of Urban Transport (IUT) India, a team of researchers and consultants from premier institutions in India, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and UNEP DTU Partnership.The revision of the toolkit has been carried out under the advice of MoUD. The current …
New roads long enough to girdle the Earth 600 times are expected to be built by 2050 and better planning is needed to protect the environment while also raising food production, a study showed on Wednesday. The study in the journal Nature showed that roads can aid farmers, especially in …
The State of Human Development in the Pacific: A Report on Vulnerability and Exclusion in a time of rapid change examines the stark realities of a region in which one in four people are now living below their national basic-needs poverty line; and also have limited access to essential services …
A comprehensive environmental assessment of the Plateau of Tibet has found that the region is getting hotter, wetter and more polluted, threatening its fragile ecosystems and those who rely on them. The plateau and its surrounding mountains cover 5 million square kilometres and hold the largest stock of ice outside …
Urbanisation modifies landscapes at multiple scales, impacting the local climate and changing the extent and quality of natural habitats. These habitat modifications significantly alter species distributions and can result in increased abundance of select species which are able to exploit novel ecosystems. We examined the effect of urbanisation at local …
This report presents a taxonomy of drivers of city competitiveness as well as a number of representative case studies of cities. The case studies are drawn from different geographies and varying levels of development that face different challenges and starting points. The objective of this work is to inspire and …
The report provides input into the discussions at the 2014 World Water Week in Stockholm, which is held under the theme of Energy and Water. Through six chapters authored by leading thinkers in the field, it presents analysis and diverse perspectives on some of the key opportunities and challenges facing …
