Bridging the Green and Digital Agendas in Cities to Drive more Ambitious and Inclusive Transitions

With economies around the world entering a post-lockdown restart, the acute climate and biodiversity crises demand the laying of the foundations for a sustainable recovery. Digital innovation promises to be a great enabler and accelerator in this process. However, a truly sustainable recovery will depend on properly integrating the digital and green transitions in ways that foster equity and inclusiveness, as well as the physical and emotional well-being of communities. In a century in which global warming and pandemics will be increasingly entangled, the twin green and digital transitions need to support both the health of the planet and its people. 

City lessons with the twin green and digital transitions are vital for securing a more sustainable and resilient future. As climate leaders and hubs of the digital economy, cities are at the forefront of efforts to better connect the two agendas in a sustainable and just manner. From developing urban data centres that support energy-efficient services to low-carbon intelligent mobility solutions and the scale-up of the circular economy, cities are acting to formulate integrated solutions that bridge environmental and technological challenges. 

Cities are also beginning to address the risks the green and digital transformations present to one another. While digital technology can effectively support climate mitigation and the dematerialisation of the economy, rising demand for cloud computing and energy-intensive devices by ever larger urban populations has a substantial environmental footprint in itself. In turn, as the world gets hotter and cities become more prone to flooding, internet connectivity and data centres will be among the first casualties. Already felt in regions troubled by climate disasters, these risks will soon become a reality for most cities.  

But a sustainable green recovery that is joined up with the digital transformation does not only require macro-level technological and infrastructural innovations. Without public buy-in the much-needed shift towards a low-carbon economy will not happen. As the closest level of government to the people, cities are well positioned to engage citizens and relevant stakeholders in assessing the needs and concerns of their communities, and in supporting them to adapt to technological change and the reconfiguration of entire industries and employment sectors. City-scale participatory processes that place equity and inclusion at the centre and seek to maximise the benefits and minimise the disadvantages for local communities, will be vital if no one is to be left behind in the transitions. 

An “Urban Green and Digital Just Transition Action Plan” for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26)  

As countries prepare to move towards a low-carbon economy, bridging the climate, digital and urban agendas will be key to raising the ambition of the COP26. To this end, Barcelona City Council and CIDOB, in collaboration with the British Embassy in Spain (in capacity as COP26 Presidency) and Glasgow City Council (as the COP26 host city), and in partnership with C40 Cities and Eurocities, organise a two-day preparatory workshop to explore how cities can act as laboratories for integrating and accelerating environmental and digital agendas in coherent policy frameworks, and in ways that are truly sustainable and just. 

Based on the workshop results, an Urban Green and Digital Just Transitions Action Plan–a set of guiding principles for a people-centred twin transition–will be formulated. The Action Plan will be launched at an event at Glasgow City Council during the COP26.  

>> Related publication: Ambitious and inclusive transitions in cities: bridging green and digital agendas

>> All sessions will be held online and streamed on CIDOB’s YouTube Channel

>> English-Spanish simultaneous translation will be provided during all sessions:

[SPANISH] Bridging the Green and Digital Agendas in Cities · 6 October

[ENGLISH] Bridging the Green and Digital Agendas in Cities · 6 October

[ENGLISH] Bridging the Green and Digital Agendas in Cities · 7 October

[SPANISH] Bridging the Green and Digital Agendas in Cities · 7 October