Analysing climate action plans of selected UK cities for their SDG alignment
Date
2019-07-04Abstract
In UK, the Climate change Act of 2008 has placed a binding target of reducing the net carbon emission in 2050 by at least 80% compared to the 1990 baseline. With a high share of urban population, the contribution of cities and urban areas towards climate change mitigation and adaptation becomes crucial. UK being a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in 2016, there is a new emphasis on the sustainability of cities as well. In this paper, a preliminary analysis of climate action initiatives of three UK cities (Bristol, Leicester and Milton Keynes) and their alignment with the SDG is presented. We used a text mining approach to analyse the climate action plans and then use this to map the alignment with the SDGs. We find that climate action plans have not focused on the sustainable development goals or the SDGs and their focus remains limited mainly to mitigation activities through promotion of renewable energies at homes and in buildings and actions on transport. However, climate action plans could influence a significant number of SDGs and an integrated approach could be beneficial for the cities and their residents.
Description
Citation : Bhattacharyya, S.C. Ozawa-Meida, L. and Painter, B. (2019) Analysing climate action plans of selected UK cities for their SDG alignment. Conference paper presented at the International Conference on Energising the SDGs through appropriate technology and governance, held at De Montfort University, Leicester, 4-5 July 2019.
Research Institute : Institute of Drama, Dance and Performance Studies
Peer Reviewed : No