2023-12-08

Building Net Zero and Climate Adaptive Cities with Nature: Exploring a Local Model in Subtropical Asia

The ICLEI Kaohsiung Capacity Center (ICLEI KCC) and the Kaohsiung City Government jointly organized the " Building Net Zero and Climate Adaptive Cities with Nature: Exploring a Local Model in Subtropical Asia" on December 1, 2023, at the Wei-Wu-Ying Center in Kaohsiung. The event was co-executed by the IBA Kaohsiung Preparatory Group and the Takao Association for Ecology and Humane Studies.

In line with the UN frameworks for addressing climate change and enhancing biodiversity, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the Berlin City Government proposed the global initiative, the "Berlin Urban Nature Pact." With the entry point of the “coexistence of cities and nature”, the Pact employs cross-disciplinary, integrated approaches to introduce "Nature-based Solutions" (NbS) aiming to address climate emergency, public health, and biodiversity loss at local level. 

The seminar welcomed Klaus Wichert, Director General, Senate Department for Urban Mobility, Transport, Climate Action and the Environment (SenMVKU), City of Berlin, who shared Berlin's experience in formulating climate protection policies and implementation policies on green actions. He is excited to learn that Kaohsiung is taking proactive initiatives to prepare for committing to the Berlin Urban Nature Pact, and willing to work together with global peers in leading the urban nature agenda.

    

During the opening remark, Director General Chang Jui-Hun, Environmental Protection Bureau of the Kaohsiung City said that " During the UNFCCC COP28 Global Stocktake, it is a great opportunity for us to review our performance in achieving the goals of Paris Agreement at city level. With today’s event, we also look forward to facilitating consensus on the implementation of the 'Berlin Urban Nature Pact' through the exchange between Kaohsiung and Berlin, making nature-based approach an effective solution for Kaohsiung on its path towards net-zero emissions."

Director General Klaus Wichert shared Berlin's climate protection policies and the original intention behind initiating the Berlin Urban Nature Pact. Director Wichert said, "Berlin itself faces many challenges and constraints in implementing our climate policies, but we are actively seeking the most natural, smartest, and most effective solutions for achieving climate neutrality. The NbS and the Pact will be key momentum to drive local transformation"

Professor Chyi-Rong Chiou from the Department of Forestry and Resource Conservation at National Taiwan University focused on " Challenges and Opportunities of NbS as Pathway to Urban Net-Zero" He emphasized that energy conservation and carbon reduction are undoubtedly primary actions for achieving the 2050 net-zero goal. However, utilizing various potential negative emission technologies, closely aligned with NbS, to increase urban carbon sequestration is also in urgent demand. After the adoption of the UN Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the convergence of biodiversity and net-zero goals 2050 have become a consensus and a common target for all countries. He added that implementing NbS actions within the urban context requires cities undertaking systematic thinking and cross-sectoral actions.

Chair Professor Jimmy Kao from the Institute of Environmental Engineering at the National Sun Yat-sen University presented on "Constructing Nature-Based Urban Carbon Sinks and Carbon Capture Systems." He stressed that if proactively addressed, natural carbon sinks and green carbon sequestration infrastructure in cities can not only become the best carbon storage, but also a vital path towards urban sustainability and climate resilience.

Dr. Stefanie Hennecke, Head of Department of Landscape Planning and Nature Conservation, Berlin City , shared Berlin’s strategic actions and policies to enhance urban biodiversity, introduced the context of the Berlin Urban Nature Pact, and highlighted good practices echoing the goals of the Pact. She was also impressed to see a wide engagement of local professionals and looked forward to seeing Kaohsiung leading the joint implementation of the Pact.

   

The seminar draws inspiration from the experiences in Berlin to stimulate C2C dialogue. During the panel discussion, experts and representatives from diverse fields such as ecological conservation, environmental protection, urban and landscape planning, public works, education, energy, and water resources, as well as members of the government, academia, and the public, came together to explore the opportunities and challenges of scaling-up NbS application and the potential in achieving the Urban Nature Pact in Taiwan.

The Deputy Director General Shih-Hung Huang of the Kaohsiung City Environmental Protection Bureau said, "the Environmental Education Act states that our daily lives, our ways of production and consumption have a significant impact on our environment, so we must take the first step ourselves. Kaohsiung has many potential sites for implementing NbS and the city is seeking best local practices to align with global initiatives to achieve a resilient and sustainable urban future".

The Vice President Shiu-Feng Wu of the Takao Association for Ecology and Humane Studies remarked, "It’s highly appreciated that the Urban Development Bureau of Kaohsiung City is also taking proactive planning in a comprehensive, cross-sectoral planning in city-wide green infrastructures. With active stakeholder engagement, we can deliver the plan based on local context and demands, and make the plan immediately actionable ".

Architect Ruei-Hong Tseng, the Co-Founder of the Green Lab Asia stressed that although Kaohsiung still faces many challenges, cross-partner collaborations are the key to sustaining the implementation of natural coexistence. Immediate action is far more important than discussion. He appealed for immediate, collective actions, so that the city can better identify and address issues, ultimately realizing a livable city where “human and nature living in harmony together”.

Project Manager Ching-Chin Chang, at Classic design and planning Co. Ltd, draw her experience in landscape design and planning of urban green system in Kaohsiung. She thinks that Kaohsiung has made progress in linking parks, detention basins and green corridors, which can be interconnected to formulate a green network with NbS pilots. Additionally, Kaohsiung has wide road spaces that potentially can be redesigned as green belts with people- and ecological-friendly concept.

Deputy Chief Engineer Yi-Chun Lin, and the Engineer Chiu-Fen Hsieh from Public Works Bureau of the Kaohsiung City Government stated firsthand experience in constructing light rail, green corridors, and integrating landscapes, and found that people-centric value is at the heart of every public construction. Inspired by Berlin, the officials think there still lies many potential spaces for making city greener and ecologically friendlier in Kaohsiung.     

Professor Tse-Fong Tseng, the Lead of IBA Kaohsiung Preparatory Team and the Distinguished Visiting Professor at Feng Chia University remarked that although Taiwan always keeps pace with international standards, there is often a lack of rigor effort in delivering actions. He called for a reflection on "What is the nature we want to coexist with?" and, through collaborative learning, find ways to truly adapt to local context and needs. When facing a new initiative, Taiwanese cities often fall into a uniform pattern, resulting in similar approaches across each city. It is hoped that in future practices of cities with nature, Kaohsiung can deliver more diversity, creative applications, and possibilities.

To sum up, Director Yang Yi-sheng of ICLEI KCC expressed her expectations, “Many cities face common challenges in climate mitigation and adaptation. However, the solutions are often locally specific. Technology is not always the problem, instead, we often found that policy communication and the collaborative involvement of various stakeholders are the keys”. Kaohsiung's efforts towards becoming a net-zero city and its growing endeavors to develop contextualized nature-based solutions demonstrate the City’s commitment to implementing the Berlin Urban Nature Pact.

With policy directions, technical guidance, and international partners in joint practice, it’s time to strive forward and take actions in building cities with nature!