The technology to improve energy efficiency and create greener cities is readily available, but changing human behaviour will be trickier. Image: Every minute, another 10,000 square metres of the world becomes urbanised. That’s enough roads laid, concrete poured, and buildings raised to make up a new Paris every five days, and an entire new Japan every year. That is why the role of cities, which consume over two-thirds of the world’s global energy and account for more than 70 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions , is critical in any attempt to slow climate change. The tools to tackle urban emissions are already widely and cheaply available, said Soren Kvorning, the president Asia Pacific of engineering company Danfoss at a forum on sustainable cities in Singapore last week, which drew some 200 participants. “The technologies…are easy to apply, and they are capital-light investments,” he pointed out. “By optimising the [energy] control systems in our buildings, we can save up to 30 per cent of the current energy consumption with a payback of two to four years.” When it comes to climate change, the fact is that the longer humanity waits, the higher the cost. Unfortunately, said speakers at […]
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