Seven things we learned from Lord Stern's New Climate Economy report

(guardian-, 16 Sep 2014) A major new report says the world can tackle climate change without harming economic growth. Here’s the digested read.

Greener cities would be cheaper to build

About 80% of the world’s economic output comes from cities, but they also account for 70% of energy use and associated emissions. At least 1bn people are expected to swell the population of developing world cities in the next 15 years, but if that growth is unstructured and unplanned it will incur economic, social and environmental costs – a lower quality of life for city residents, and problems for the future in global warming.

This does not need to be the case, as cities can be planned on sustainable lines with better quality of life, mass public transport, green spaces and better amenities – all of which will also enhance economic growth. Development on these lines could reduce the capital requirements for urban infrastructure by more than $3tn (£1.85bn) over the next 15 years, the report found.

We need to repair farmland

With the global population set to top 8bn by 2030, feeding the world will be an ever harder task. Increasing the productivity of existing agricultural land will be key.

If an eighth of the world’s degraded agricultural land were restored using modern techniques, it could feed 200m more people by 2030, and lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

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guardian-, 16 Sep 2014: Seven things we learned from Lord Stern's New Climate Economy report