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In times of economic uncertainty and with increasing environmental and climate challenges ahead, the concept of green growth becomes all the more important.

Green growth means shifting to a development model where environmental protection and economic growth complement each other, rather than being contradictory.

Cities play a central role in this process, as this is where

• 85% of Europe’s GDP is generated
• 80% of Europe’s energy is consumed
• 75% of Europe’s CO₂ is emitted

At the same time, well-managed urban concentration is the most sustainable form of development. For instance, CO₂ emissions per capita drop significantly when urban areas become densely populated.

European cities continuously work on green growth. They change local regulation and raise citizen awareness. To give just two examples:

• cities cooperate with local and other businesses and universities to make them greener;
• cities green their own public investments in infrastructure, buildings, transport, communication networks and utilities.

A key topic for the EU

European policy makers have recognised the importance of green growth related changes and launched a number of initiatives to support this process. In the Europe 2020 strategy, sustainable growth is to be one of the key drivers for growth alongside smart growth and inclusive growth, 'making our production more resource efficient while boosting our competitiveness'. The two flagship initiatives on an industrial policy for green growth and resource-efficient Europe under the Europe 2020 strategy are designed to promote such a shift to a resource-efficient and low-carbon economy and help the EU stick to the 2020 goals on energy production, efficiency and consumption.

EUROCITIES action

We support our member cities in their efforts to bring about a better environment and work towards achieving sustainable development and growth by developing and sharing knowledge and expertise. Through our different forums, such as environment, economic development and knowledge society, we bring together the different aspects of green growth, assisting an integrated approach to policy making.  We also work with the EU institutions and with national governments to make sure that European legislation and programmes can be implemented successfully at the local level, in order to improve the urban environment while supporting sustainable growth.