Climate change, energy security and local air pollution are some of the key questions for the 21st century. Urban areas in developing and emerging countries are major driving factors in growing global energy demand and Greenhouse Gas emissions.
The market share of full electric vehicles is still low in many European member states. Several reasons have been identified for this. Charging infrastructure is considered as one of the central reasons when the urban model does not allow for widespread garage availability, or when frequent long range travel is involved. Currently most EV owners have their own garage and live in peri-urban areas.
Merging physical transport assets like infrastructure or vehicles with the digital layer, through the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data applications opens vast possibilities in terms of the development of new transport services, business/operating models and social innovations. This has been exemplified in the rapid development of services such as multimodal travel planners, transportation network companies, Mobility as a Service, public transport on demand, new airline ancillary products, various forms of tracking and tracing and many others.
Over the past decades, abandonment and decay of urban, industrial and rural heritage has occurred in many historic urban areas and cultural landscapes due to reduction of economic activities and closing down of industries. This has led to unemployment, disengagement and economic stagnation. Other areas, in contrast, have implemented regeneration processes, yet these have not always been successful as they were based on top-down decision making and implementation without engaging the local population.
Globally, glaciers and the large ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland are particularly vulnerable to climate change, risking a significant future contribution to changes in sea levels. At present, there are significant uncertainties, e.g. relating to their stability, which prevent an accurate assessment of their vulnerability. The 'Arctic amplification' of global warming is putting pressure on the ecosystems and communities of the region and having an impact at global level as well.
It is estimated that by 2050 up to 70% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas. Urbanisation affects human health and well-being through factors such as exposure to pollutants, including noise, disasters, stressors and diseases, urban density, lack of physical activity, degraded ecosystems and erosion of natural capital, which can be exacerbated by climate change.
The Paris Agreement notes the importance of taking action to ensure the integrity of all ecosystems and the protection of biodiversity in the context of combatting climate change and adapting to its impacts. An improved understanding of the interactions and feedbacks between ecological processes and climate change, together with evidence-based guidance, is crucial for the development of appropriate solution-oriented strategies and measures for biodiversity conservation and cost-effective ecosystems-based climate change adaptation and mitigation.
As climatic changes increasingly place populations under pressure, human beings are already adapting. However, less developed countries – particularly in Africa – are often less resilient to climate change and require the deployment of appropriate support to adaptation, including in the form of bespoke climate services tailored to users' needs. There is some evidence that climate change may already be playing a role in shaping population migration patterns around the world (e.g. Africa to Europe).
There is a growing demand for water from various economic activities and increasing stress on natural water sources. To secure water for our society, there is therefore a need to make available alternative water resources of various qualities and which are appropriate for different functions and multiple users, and to better exploit water resources and all the valuable substances that could be obtained through the wastewater treatment and reuse process.