UN-Habitat Focuses on Energy in Urban Areas

Serving as a principal at Nexant, Inc., Rebecca Gaskin Gain leverages nearly three decades of experience in international business and law to advance global energy transactions and drive priority projects abroad. In addition to her professional endeavors, Rebecca Gaskin Gain served as a consultative board member for UN-Habitat.

The UN-Habitat program is an established United Nations effort focused on creating socially and environmentally sustainable urban environments across the world. With experience spanning 40 years, UN-Habitat is world-recognized for its expertise and breadth of knowledge related to urbanization. Experts predict that by the year 2030, 60 percent of the world’s population will reside in urban areas. Many of these city centers are unprepared for the influx of people. Their lack of housing and adequate infrastructure can cause sizable problems related to health, safety, poverty, and pollution. UN-Habitat’s programs and initiatives work to address these issues.

Reliable energy resources are an essential component of functional infrastructure in developing urban areas. In 2012, more than 82 percent of the world’s energy came from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. These limited resources can cause unpredictable energy disruptions due to price increases and decreased supply. They can also feed regional conflicts and unhealthy political pressures.

The unreliable power supply leads to economic harm and disruption of industrial and commercial activities. In order to combat these negative patterns, UN-Habitat urges urban areas to embrace renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydro, and biomass. The organization works with urban leaders to develop and implement sustainable energy plans that embrace renewable sources, thereby combatting the unreliability and negative environmental effects of fossil fuels.

Other strategies that will help create reliable energy in global cities include:

-Building awareness of the energy problem.

-Reducing energy consumption and changing long-held patterns while embracing energy-saving techniques.

-Ensuring that distribution of energy is inclusive and accessible to all.

-Assessing meteorological and geographical attributes of an area to determine which natural resources would be best for energy production.

-Utilizing smart grids that can balance supply and demand more efficiently.