Climate Positive to Set Urban Examples of Sustainability
The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) in collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), has developed the Climate Positive Development Program, which 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 CO2 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.
"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 one 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.
USGBC President, CEO, and Founding Chairman Rick Fedrizzi commented, "A program that aims to set a new global benchmark has to be set on solid metrics. We know this from our experience with LEED, and believe it 's fundamental to delivering immediate and measureable results."