LOW-CARBON URBAN DEVELOPMENT INTEGRATION - DECARBONIZATION OF CITIES - A REVIEW

Abstract

 The global energy landscape is mired in persistent challenges characterized by the depletion of fossil fuel reserves and volatile, elevated energy prices. The extensive utilization of fossil fuels has engendered adverse environmental repercussions, substantially augmenting atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. This has further intensified the greenhouse effect, culminating in global warming and the consequential phenomenon of climate change. Consequently, contemporary society faces the formidable imperative of embarking on a multifaceted spectrum of actions and commitments aimed at curtailing greenhouse gas emissions, with a particular emphasis on CO2. In the wake of the momentous Paris Agreement, national governments have undertaken the profound responsibility of conceiving and executing decarbonization strategies. The central objective of these strategies is to effectuate a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 55% before the onset of 2030, ultimately culminating in the attainment of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The realization of these objectives is contingent upon the development of comprehensive, long-term decarbonization strategies buttressed by a roster of short- and mediumterm actions. These strategies are envisioned to elucidate a trajectory towards an optimal future scenario, concurrently optimizing socio-economic dividends. Empirical research has decisively ascertained that urban centers bear a substantial onus in this endeavor, as they account for an excess of 70% of global CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, urban locales are intrinsically poised for the deployment of meticulous decarbonization measures. This paper proffers an exhaustive scrutiny of research findings, with an explicit focus on the most efficacious systems and policies conducive to zero carbon emissions. It engages in an exhaustive examination of the classification and analysis of multifarious methodologies employed within the construction, industrial, and transportation sectors. Furthermore, the paper expounds upon the criteria that scholars have invoked to appraise global decarbonization trajectories, all in pursuit of achieving climate neutrality through the ubiquitous adoption of renewable energy sources. This abstract accentuates the pressing exigency of confronting climate change, the pivotal role that urban centers assume in emissions abatement, and the systematic research approach employed to assess and advocate sustainable decarbonization strategies.