Cities Have the Potential to Influence the Causes of Climate Change: Dr. Sudheer Krishna, Secretary of Urban Development, GoI

NEW DELHI, August 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

"Cities have the potential to influence the causes of climate change and they have the solutions to advance climate protection," Dr. Sudheer Krishna said in his message to the audience at Green Habitat Summit India 2013, which was organized by HexaGreen and held at the India Habitat Centre New Delhi on August 20-21, 2013.

Dr. Krishna said that the success of adaptation critically depends on the availability of necessary resources, not only financial, but also knowledge, technical capability, institutional resources and tools.

He emphasized that by 2030, the world will need at least 50 per cent more food, 45 per cent more energy and 30 per cent more water - all at a time when environmental boundaries are throwing up new limits to supply. Cities have become awesome in size, and also greenhouse gas emissions. Larger cities have a ravenous appetite for energy, consuming two third of the world's energy and creating over 70% of global CO2 emissions, he stated.

Dr. Krishna also opined that the two main characteristics that define sustainable development are efficiency and equity: Efficiency, in functioning and equity, when distributed within the generation and between generations.

He said, "Applied to the context of urban planning and development, the most fundamental elements of sustainability are the utilization of natural resources in a city region most efficiently, most equitably across sections of society and in such a manner that the resources are conserved and renewed for future generations to meet their needs and aspirations."

Organized by HexaGreen; an environment media initiative by DevCom Media, the Green Habitat conference focused on technologies, strategies, and financial mechanisms that could help the ULBs and states achieve sustainability goals - from building infrastructure and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to promoting a thriving green economy.

The summit brought in leading representatives from government agencies, entrepreneurs, private enterprises and the civil society that deliberated on areas like sustainable buildings, energy efficiency, renewable energy, building materials, wastewater management, solid waste management, and waste-to-wealth initiatives to chalk out a sustainable and green roadmap for habitats, including buildings, housing projects, townships and cities.

HexaGreen is an initiative by DevCom Media Pvt. Ltd. with a vision of bridging the information and communication gap in the environment sector through websites, events, and research. The Green Habitat conference focused on technologies, strategies, and financial mechanisms that could help the ULBs and states achieve sustainability goals - from building infrastructure and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to promoting a thriving green economy. The event was co-hosted by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Society of Energy Engineers and Managers (SEEM), All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG), among others.

This conference was coordinated by Dr. Sukumar Devotta, Former Director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), who has immensely contributed to the field of Energy and Environment. He has served and continues to serve in many prestigious National & International Committees.

About HexaGreen

HexaGreen is an initiative by DevCom Media Pvt. Ltd. with a vision of bridging the information and communication gap in the environment sector through websites, events, and research. It provides a digest form of all important happenings, policy matters, and actions taken in the sector, trend reading of the future of the business and representation of the same in pithy to-the-point anecdotes culled out from worldwide sources with high degree of India-centricity, opinion and analysis from corporate executives and thought leaders offering insight and inspiration on trends and best practices and valuable resources to help increase the effectiveness of online browsing.

Contact: Lakshmishree Sinha, +91-98110-06805, lmshree@hexagreen.com