Les entreprises innovantes dans les domaines de la ville et les territoires durables sont invitées à participer au ” Challenge des 1000 ” (28ème édition du Sommet Afrique-France).

Le 28ème Sommet Afrique-France se tiendra les 4, 5 et 6 juin 2020, à Bordeaux, en présence de nombreux Chefs d’Etat et de Gouvernement. A l’occasion de ce sommet dédié aux villes et territoires durables, l’Etat français invitera à Bordeaux 1 000 Entrepreneurs Africains, à venir présenter leurs solutions à la Cité des Solutions, un salon dédié aux projets et aux solutions pour la ville et les territoires durables.

Plus d'information sur : https://digital-africa.co/

Wastewater is a global problem. Today, around 80% of all wastewater is discharged untreated into rivers, lakes and oceans. It creates health and environmental hazards, and contributes to Greenhouse Gas emissions, including nitrous oxide and methane. These emissions are three times larger than those produced by conventional wastewater treatment activities. Recovering water, energy, nutrients and other precious materials embedded in wastewater is an opportunity for cities to transition to the circular economy and contribute to improved water security.

The report, The Reuse Opportunity: Cities seizing the reuse opportunity in circular economy, published by the International Water Association and OFID (the OPEC Fund for International Development), argues that decisive, urgent and large-scale action is needed to dramatically increase wastewater treatment, reuse and recycling. The report states that cities, as drivers of the global economy, must lead this resource revolution to enable a transition to a circular economy.

The Reuse Opportunity: Cities seizing the reuse opportunity in circular economy

Urban sustainability indicators are tools that allow planners, managers and policymakers to gauge the socio-economic and environmental impact of existing urban designs, infrastructures, policies, waste disposal systems, pollution and citizens’ access to services. They allow cities to monitor the success of sustainability interventions. This In-depth Report aims to provide local government actors and stakeholders with a concise guide to the best indicator tools currently available.

Click here to download the European Commission report (November 2015)

Cities are rapidly expanding and water resources are under increasing pressure. We need to find ways to do more with less, while ensuring that cities are resilient to floods, droughts and the challenges of growing water scarcity. Transitioning cities to address these challenges has never been more urgent. The International Water Association has published 17 Principles for Water-Wise Cities in 7 languages together cities water stories. Cities can endorse online the principles and write their own water story to address resilient to floods, droughts and the challenges of growing water scarcity. Looka the the Journey to Water-Wise Cities

An EU Research & Innovation (R&I) agenda on nature-based solutions is an essential component to greening the economy and achieving sustainable development. To contribute to the development of this R&I agenda, the Expert Group on 'Nature-Based Solutions and Re-Naturing Cities' was commissioned by the European Commission. Since the nature-based solutions concept is relatively new, the Expert Group developed an appropriate definition, before considering the opportunities for nature-based solutions.

Their final report published in 2015. Four principal goals have been identified that can be addressed by nature-based solutions:
− Enhancing sustainable urbanisation through nature-based solutions can stimulate economic growth as well as improving the environment, making cities more attractive, and
enhancing human well-being.
− Restoring degraded ecosystems using nature-based solutions can improve the resilience of ecosystems, enabling them to deliver vital ecosystem services and also to
meet other societal challenges.
− Developing climate change adaptation and mitigation using nature-based solutions can provide more resilient responses and enhance the storage of carbon.
− Improving risk management and resilience using nature-based solutions can lead to greater benefits than conventional methods and offer synergies in reducing multiple risks.

Based on the four goals, seven nature-based solutions for R&I actions are recommended to be taken forward by the European Commission and Member States:
− Urban regeneration through nature-based solutions
− Nature-based solutions for improving well-being in urban areas
− Establishing nature-based solutions for coastal resilience
− Multi-functional nature-based watershed management and ecosystem restoration
− Nature-based solutions for increasing the sustainability of the use of matter and energy
− Nature-based solutions for enhancing the insurance value of ecosystems
− Increasing carbon sequestration through nature-based solutions

This report was produced by the Horizon 2020 Expert Group on 'Nature-Based Solutions and Re-Naturing Cities', informed by the findings of an e-consultation and a stakeholder workshop.