European trends in urban environmental management, information and awareness raising

1. European trends in urban environmental management, information and awareness raising Morten Wasstøl UNEP/GRID-Arendal

2. From Agenda to Action What will I discuss in this presentation? European urban environmental policy context and main challenges Learning from the Managing Urban Europe project The GEO Cities project comes to Europe Implications for Environmental Information Systems

3. EU Urban Thematic Strategy The strategy is one of 7 thematic strategies under EU’s Sixth Environment Action Programme “Environment 2010: Our Future, Our Choice” Strong focus on sectors and “decoupling” The strategy is finished in December/January, but will only result in a communication

4. European city cooperation on urban sustainability From the Rio Summit in 1992 to the Aalborg Commitments in 2004 10 Commitments: Governance, local management towards sustainability, responsible consumption and lifestyle choices, planning and design, better mobility and less traffic, local action for health, vibrant and sustainable local economy, social equity and justice, local to global

5. Main environmental management challenges Decoupling economic growth and pressures on the environment Integrating environmental considerations into sectoral policies Mainstreaming environment and sustainability issues into the core of cities’ policy making

6. Managing Urban Europe -25 The largest European project so far on cities’ environmental management systems (EMS). Improve the environmental quality and sustainability of European cities by delivering a framework for better implementation of already existing environmental management systems (EMS) like EMAS, ISO 14001 and ecoBUDGET. Key concepts: Addressing the functional area, managing flexibility and gradually expansion of scope

8. Managing Urban Europe: 5 main steps in the management cycle Baseline review Preparation of the plan Approval of the plan Implementation of the plan Reporting and evaluation continue...

9. Using Oslo as an example Using assessments, plans and environmental management systems http://www.byradsavdeling-for-miljo-og-samferdsel.oslo.kommune.no/miljo/english/ http://ucp.ewindows.eu.org/reports/oslo-en/

10. The GEO Cities project Initiated by UNEPs regional office in Latin America and the Caribbean Addressing the major cities in the region Over 20 reports are finished The concept are now exported to Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific

11. The GEO Cities project:key elements UNEP initiated process Building on the GEO approach to assessments Broad participation within the cities Outlook Policy advice Partnerships

12. Implications for environmental information systems ?

13. Questions for the working groups Focusing on meeting the information needs.. Who should the environmental information system serve? What kind information should it provide? How must the environmental information system be designed to be relevant for the various stages of cities’ environmental management processes?