Climate Positive program developed

The Clinton

Climate Initiative (CCI) , a project of the

William J. Clinton Foundation, has announced a global program developed in

collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) , called the Climate Positive Development Program.

The program

will support the development of large-scale urban projects that demonstrate

cities can grow in ways that are “climate positive.” Climate Positive real

estate developments will strive to reduce the amount of on-site CO ₂ emissions

to below zero.

Sixteen

founding projects on six continents, supported by local governments and

property developers, will demonstrate Climate Positive strategies, setting a

compelling environmental and economic example for cities to follow.

Last year,

for the first time, half the world’s population (3.2 billion people) lived in

cities, and that figure is expected to grow to 70% by 2050. Cities also occupy

just 2% of the world’s landmass, yet are responsible for more than two-thirds

of global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Rapid urban growth and

climate change are putting our world’s cities in a vise grip of escalating

infrastructure, energy, and health and human services costs that will be

magnified by the pressure of climatic adaptation. How cities change and grow is

therefore a critical component to tackling the climate crisis.

“As the

Earth’s population increases and our cities grow, we need to ensure we have the

models in place to sustain our way of life in an increasingly urbanized world,”

President Clinton said. “The Climate Positive Development Program will set a

new global standard for developments that will minimize environmental impacts

and benefit economies as we build and rebuild homes, schools, and businesses.

Today’s announcement builds off the work my Foundation and the C40 have done to

initiate large-scale projects in more than 40 cities that are already reducing

greenhouse gas emissions and making a significant impact in the fight against

climate change.”

To reduce

the net greenhouse gas emissions of these projects to below zero, property

developers and local governments will agree to work in partnership on specific

areas of activity. This includes implementing economically viable innovations

in building, the generation of clean energy, waste management, water

management, transportation, and outdoor lighting systems.

When the

initial 16 projects are completed, nearly 1 million people will live and work

in Climate Positive communities. These communities will be located in: Melbourne, Australia;

Palhoça, Brazil;

Toronto, Canada;

Victoria, Canada;

Ahmedabad, India;

Jaipur, India;

outside Panama City, Panama;

Pretoria, South

Africa; Johannesburg, South Africa; Seoul,

South Korea; Stockholm, Sweden;

London, UK;

San Francisco, USA;

and Destiny Florida, USA.

By

combining CCI’s business and finance expertise with the technical knowledge of

the USGBC, the Climate Positive Development Program will support the

planning and implementation process for each real estate development and

establish the standards and metrics by which the sites can measure climate

positive outcomes.

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