75% of the European population lives in urban areas
3% deaths are associated with pollution
75% of CO2 emissions are produced in cities

Cities must lead the fight against climate change, promoting renewable energy and protecting natural resources.

DID YOU KNOW …

If we could capture all the sun’s energy for one hour, we could supply the whole world with energy for one year . The increase in the use of solar energy is occurring at high speed as a result of the fall in prices of solar panels and by the < strong> low cost provided by solar energy.

According to an OECD report, it is estimated that by 2050, 70% of the world’s population will be urban . By 2030, 5,000 million people are expected to live in cities. Currently cities are responsible for 75% of carbon emissions . If we continue in this drift, the impact of climate change on humanity will aggravate existing inequalities and damage could be irreversible. It is clear that human beings are primarily responsible for global warming since, by needing a high amount of energy production to live, we are depleting natural resources. In addition, burning from fossil fuels produces the gases that cause the greenhouse effect. Devastating fires, heat waves, prolonged droughts, tropical storms, are the consequences that millions of people on the planet are already suffering. In the world, more than half of the population lives in cities of more than 300,000 people, subject to high levels of air pollution that put the health of its inhabitants at risk. as well as the environment. In recent years there has been an increase in certain diseases and allergies, which especially affect the most vulnerable groups, children, the elderly, pregnant women … and cause thousands of premature deaths. L he death toll caused by air pollution rises to 8.8 million people per year in the world. The transport sector is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide, since most of the energy used comes from petroleum-derived fuels . Finally and as Amnesty International also points out, the effects of pollution and global warming are a matter of human rights, because in addition to affecting the environment , they affect the people’s well-being and to rights such as health, food, water, housing and of course, the right to life.

SUSTAINABLE CITIES, that offer quality of life to their inhabitants, that facilitate sustainable transport and are supplied through clean energy, renewable, respecting natural resources and reducing and reusing waste as new raw materials. In the 1987 Brundtland Report prepared by the United Nations (UN), we can read that “ sustainability consists of meeting the needs of the current generation without sacrificing the ability to future generations. ” In relation to this vision of the future, we must be able to plan a series of actions to advance towards the achievement of this ambitious goal, through the Sustainable Development Goals, focused in three fundamental areas, environmental, social and economic. The joint action of public administrations, private entities and citizens is necessary to modify behavior habits and tend to that balance between life in urban centers, resources and their own natural environment, implementing measures such as:

  • Exclusive use of renewable energy sources . Solar energy is infinite. The most common uses are the production of hot water and electricity. Public administrations must invest in the development of new technologies, encourage self-consumption by individuals and companies with positive fiscal policies, guaranteeing universal access to clean energy, such as solar, thermal or wind.
  • Sustainable Mobility. Public authorities must implement measures to favor the reduction of traffic in cities, promote the use of public transport, as well as access to the use of less polluting vehicles, implementing policies that favor their use through tax incentives , as well as facilitating its charging by installing photovoltaic recharging points.
  • Urban Architecture and efficient buildings based on Sustainable Urban Development policies . The data show us that currently buildings are responsible for the consumption of around 40% of energy in cities, it is evident that it is necessary to rethink and design cities to improve their integration into the environment and reduce energy consumption, in this way The objectives related to sustainable development will be met: environmental, social and economic.
  • It is committed to a management of Zero Waste and Zero emissions . Implement the rule of the 4Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover, both in policies aimed at citizens and in the waste management of local administrations. On the other hand, at the last Climate Summit 2019, held in Madrid, one of the main focuses was the country’s commitment to the total reduction of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane, among others.
  • Comprehensive Water Management . Effective management of water resources is vital for the future of the planet. Public administrations must establish policies related to investment in technology to promote the use of wastewater as a resource, awareness campaigns to control consumption and shared responsibility, as well as efficient land use planning.
  • Environmental Education Programs for citizens: Extension of good practices such as the adoption of National Environmental Plans in the educational field , that some countries such as France, Countries The Netherlands or England have adopted in recent years, or initiatives such as the Finnish project Green Actions, in which art is introduced as a pedagogical methodology.

HOW DO WE ACT?

Through urban environmental awareness, we support social, economic, political and cultural processes to develop in balance with the functioning of nature, promoting models of sustainable urbanism and mobility. Taking taking into account that all cities are different, we help to find the best alternatives towards sustainability, targeting the fundamental actors in the life of cities, to favor waste management, recovery and stimulation of citizenship, for the use of energy efficient technologies.

INNOVATIVE ELEMENTS

Designs that integrate renewable energy systems with two main functions: awareness of Smart Cities and sustainable design of spaces . We integrate photovoltaic and wind installations into urban furniture, to generate clean energy in cities while raising awareness.

Elementos-decorativos-innovadores

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING

Application of sustainability criteria that leads to a rational use of natural resources, such as the reduction of energy and global water applied to the construction of a building and its use during its operation.

Edificaciones-sostenibles

SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING

We support public entities in the information for the implementation of new urban elements or substitution by others whose efficiency and environmental impact are more positive for the environment and that Furthermore, with these changes, they generate economic profitability in the medium term.