NAIROBI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Yangtze River delta located on the eastern coast of China has made tremendous progress toward achieving net zero emissions which other regions of the world can emulate, a UN-Habitat official said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the ongoing first UN-Habitat Assembly here, Vincent Kitio, chief of urban energy unit at the UN-Habitat, said that the Yangtze River delta has adopted 10 key principles to achieve a zero carbon village design.
"This Chinese region has made tremendous progress toward achieving net zero emissions which other regions of the world can emulate by making modifications to suit local conditions," Kitio said during the launch of the Net Zero Carbon Village Planning Guidelines for the Yangtze river delta region in China.
The book was prepared jointly by UN-Habitat, Tongji University, Shanghai Municipality and the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences.
The publication contains a clear action plan and roadmap that villages around the world can adopt in order to develop a holistic approach where urban planning can lead to sustainable cities.
Kitio noted that the lessons learnt from the implementation of the principles in China can set good examples for zero carbon strategies for other towns both in China and around the world.
Zhao Jianzhi, deputy division chief at the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, said that his city is keen to share its environmental conservation practices with the rest of the world.
Zhao said that Shanghai, as a fast growing metropolitan city faces tremendous challenges in environment and is thus adopting a low carbon development approach.
He noted that the city is prioritizing the reduction on reliance on use of coal in order to promote environmental protection.
The Chinese city has already developed one of the largest offshore windmills in Asia that can provide clean energy to over 200,000 households.
According to Zhao, Shanghai is also promoting green commuting to ensure that the transport sector does not contribute to green house emissions.
