By 2030, an estimated 1.5 million additional people per week are expected to migrate to cities, which are already responsible for 75% of carbon dioxide emissions, and are the main drivers of air and water pollution. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the need to transform the relationship between cities and nature is more important than ever.
To address this imbalance, the WEF is collaborating with the Government of Colombia on a new global initiative. ‘BiodiverCities by 2030’ aims to design an urban development model that is in harmony with nature. It will bring together a high-level global commission of 25 thinkers and practitioners to address biodiversity loss and advance towards nature-positive development.
The WEF writes: “By combining and bringing together multi-disciplinary expertise and different entrepreneurial approaches, we can move away from an extractive to a regenerative urban development model.”
The Alexander von Humboldt Research Institute will oversee the direction and progress of the initiative during 2021.
