Chengdu at forefront to become a global city of sustainable development
Chengdu spares no efforts to encourage green and low-carbon consumption, promote green office practices, green and low-carbon transport and create a corresponding social atmosphere.
Chengdu is accelerating its development of a low-carbon urban industrial system and cultivating new businesses in a bid to go green.
As one of China’s five pilot cities of international sustainable development, Chengdu is building a green and low-carbon energy system and adjusting its energy consumption structure, said government officials during the city’s second High-level International Forum on Sustainable Urban Development.
Chengdu is now encouraging green and low-carbon consumption, promoting green office practices, green and low-carbon transport and creating a corresponding social atmosphere.
As the city has an abundant of hydroelectric resources, Chengdu will advocate hydropower and encourage the development of clean and renewable energy, such as solar energy to effectively cut the carbon emission.
A green and low-carbon transport system is being built at the same time. Mass transit will play a big role in the system when pedestrians, non-motorized vehicles and buses enjoy priority.
Chengdu improves its non-motorized transport and supports the development of bicycle and car sharing. Although the city has the second largest motor vehicle population in the country, after Beijing, its traffic congestion is still in an acceptable level.
Meanwhile, Metro transit has accounted for nearly 40 percent of Chengdu’s public transport. The number of new-energy vehicles increased by 15.4 percent last year.
In line with Chengdu’s comprehensive work plan for energy saving and carbon reduction (2017-2020), clean energy will account for at least 57.4 percent of the city’s energy consumption by 2020. Non-fossil fuels will account for 30.3 percent or above by then.
Chengdu will uphold the concept of green and low-carbon development, promote green reform, take green responsibility and strengthen cooperation with cities around the world in the field of green low-carbon development to jointly promote sustainable urban development, said government officials at the opening ceremony of the forum.
Keynote speakers at the second High-level International Forum on Sustainable Urban Development held recently in Chengdu
Chengdu is a pilot city promoting the “Garden City” concept and a star among the cities of sustainable development.
Garden City where the infrastructure and homes are well integrated into green spaces is a new mode for the sustainable urban development. Chengdu which is regarded as one of the most livable cities in China is building itself into a beautiful Garden City.
The capital city of Sichuan Province hosted the first High-level International Forum on Sustainable Urban Development in July last year.
The forum last year released The Chengdu Declaration, which calls for building an inclusive and open environment for urban development, promoting sustained and steady urban economic development, practicing green and low-carbon urban development concepts, developing viable approaches to urban construction, exploring a new urban governance model that is smart and sharing, and creating an international cooperation platform for sustainable development among cities.
At the opening ceremony of this year’s forum, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), expressed her gratitude in a video for the efforts Chengdu has made toward sustainable development and said that all sorts of challenges generated in rapid urbanization need proper planning and management and needs every one of us to deal with them.
“When more and more people live in urban areas, the sustainable development of a city is closely related to the sustainable development of a country and even the world,” Xu Lin, director of China Center for Urban Development, said at the forum this year.
Peng Sen, vice chairman of Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, National People’s Congress, said, “Countries around the world are at different stages of urbanization.
“The rate of urbanization in some developed countries has reached more than 90 percent, but in some developing countries, the rate is less than 20 percent.
“The difference in the level of urbanization brings wide space for cooperation. Countries with a high level of urbanization can provide useful experience and reference for ‘catch-up’ countries and regions,” said Peng.
In the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up, the nation has experienced the largest and fastest urbanization process in the history of the world. It has increased from less than 20 percent in the initial stage of reform and opening up to 58.52 percent at the end of last year.
In the next 20 years, around 80 percent of people in China will live in urban areas, which put sustainable development of cities at the top of their agenda.
A guideline for international sustainable development pilot cities released at the forum this year has pointed out the future development of Chengdu — intelligent and green urbanization will integrate intelligent and green infrastructure, intelligent and green building as well as intelligent and green transport while demand for green consumption will continue to grow, driving output of green products and services and become a new driving force for economic growth.
Emerging green industries, such as the next generation of information technology, new energy, new materials and new energy vehicles will provide opportunities for a new round of development. Chengdu will be in full swing to develop its finance and science and technology sectors.
