Cities and municipalities depend on nature

09.09.2010
Note: This text is from the archive.
Published on:
Sequence number: No. 135/10
Topic: Nature and Biological Diversity
Publisher: Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety
Minister: Norbert Röttgen
Term of office: 28.10.2009 - 22.05.2012
17th Leg. period: 28.10.2009 - 17.12.2013
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) launches Local and Regional Policy Makers report

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) launches Local and Regional Policy Makers report

The TEEB report for local and regional policy makers is being presented today at four events around the globe. In Curitiba (Brazil), New Delhi (India), Cape Town (South Africa) and Ghent (Belgium), Representatives of governments, municipalities and local councils will receive the recommendations of the TEEB scientists. The report explains how cities and municipalities can save money while at the same time strengthening local and regional industry, improving living conditions, creating jobs and protecting nature.

Worldwide, urbanisation is growing continuously. Within the next two decades about 60% of Earth's population will live in urban areas. This makes cities and municipalities increasingly important actors in the transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy. These cities, home to half of the world's population, cover only 2% of the Earth's surface and yet they consume 75% of the natural resources and generate 75% of the waste.

TEEB illustrates how dependent cities and municipalities are on nature, and that nature has cost-effective solutions to local problems such as drinking water supply or air pollution control. Local and regional policy makers are called upon to value nature's services more and to integrate them into the management of cities, rural regions, protected areas and spatial planning. The report presents various successful models.

TEEB was initiated by Germany and the European Commission at the suggestion of the G8 environment ministers in 2007 to investigate the economic value of biological diversity and the cost of the destruction of nature. The study is being carried out under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). A first interim report was presented at the 9th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD in Bonn in May 2008. The TEEB for Policy Makers report was published in November 2009, and the TEEB for Business report in July 2010. The final TEEB synthesis report will be presented at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Japan in October 2010.

09.09.2010 | Press release No. 135/10 | Nature and Biological Diversity
https://www.bmuv.de/PM4712-1
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