Major global cities need to accelerate actions to tackle climate change, with around 2,000 days to go until 2030 deadline for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), design and consultancy firm Arcadis has said.
Arcadis made the call following the publication of its latest Sustainable Cities Index (SCI) 2024, which ranks 100 global cities across three pillars of sustainability – Planet, People and Profit.
This year’s edition, which is the sixth such report, sees Amsterdam top the list, with Arcadis noting ‘clear differences’ between leading cities such as the Dutch capital, Copenhagen (3rd) and Munich (5th), and others including New York (48th), Boston (56th) and Taipei (62nd), in terms of implementing sustainability initiatives.
Planet, People, Profit and Progress
The SCI traditionally ranks 100 global cities across three pillars of sustainability – Planet, People and Profit – adding a new pillar, Progress, to its rankings this year for the first time. This new pillar measures change over time, seeking to demonstrate the impact of sustainability interventions made over the last decade.
Overall, some 67 metrics are analysed in its assessment of each city, including air pollution, waste management and investment in low carbon infrastructure (including renewable energy and sustainable transport), as well as factors such as economic performance, social equity, and resilience to natural disasters.
European cities dominate the leading positions in the SCI, with no less than four German cities, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, and Berlin, claiming top ten positions.
Read more: What is the most climate-resilient city in Europe?
Nine of the top ten cities in the list score highly in the ‘Planet’ pillar, which incorporates metrics such as sustainable energy systems and low-emission transport – indicating the importance of these when it comes to urban sustainability.
The ‘Profit’ pillar, meanwhile, which emphasises how a thriving economy should support investment in infrastructure, alternative energy sources, green initiatives, and social programmes, sees North American cities performing well, with San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, New York, and Seattle all appearing in the top ten.
The role of cities
“Cities play a critical role in advancing the sustainable development agenda,” commented John Batten, Arcadis Global Cities director. “However, our progress assessment shows that a lot more needs to be done to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
“With just 2,000 days to go, the challenge is to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation. Whether that’s by scaling up renewable energy initiatives, integrating climate considerations into infrastructure planning, improving mobility through intelligent traffic management, or supporting the retrofit of existing buildings through planning and investment, there are always areas to improve on.”
The full report can be found here.
