Thank you for Subscribing to Real Estate Business Review Weekly Brief
I agree We use cookies on this website to enhance your user experience. By clicking any link on this page you are giving your consent for us to set cookies. More info
Thank you for Subscribing to Real Estate Business Review Weekly Brief
By
Real Estate Business Review | Wednesday, April 06, 2022
More developing countries could use satellites and other technologies to solve urban sustainability challenges, such as providing water to a growing population.
FREMONT, CA: Urban areas are home to more than half of the world's population. By 2050, that number is predicted to increase to 6.5 billion individuals, accounting for two-thirds of the whole human population. The COVID-19 epidemic has intensified the issues of urban sustainability. Masks and other throwaway plastics, for example, have considerably exacerbated urban plastic pollution and improper waste management methods. Rapid technological advancement, on the other hand, opens up new avenues for creatively solving urban issues at a lesser cost and more sustainably. The UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development's (CSTD) 25th session, which will take place in Geneva, will look at using science, technology, and innovation for sustainable urban development in a post-pandemic world, among others. The secretariat of the CSTD is UNCTAD.
Satellites are one of the technologies that have the potential to address urban sustainability issues. One of the specialists present at the event remarked that satellites could handle urban development challenges such as planning and control of new human settlements. CEO of the AIR Center, an intergovernmental group that helps countries use technology to promote development, opinioned that by facilitating urban planning, satellites contribute to the provision of fundamental services such as water supply, energy, and garbage collection. Satellites, aid authorities in identifying vulnerability to natural disasters such as flooding, sea-level rise, big fires, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis in metropolitan areas. They also provide data to help relief teams locate the worst-affected areas and methods to reach and support victims, allowing them to lessen the impact of these disasters. In addition, authorities employ satellites to monitor city water resources, identify periods of water scarcity, and determine whether the water is safe to drink.
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
UNCTAD hopes to collaborate with the AIR Centre to assist additional developing countries in using satellites to address these concerns and address urban sustainability challenges. Developing countries can use satellite data mixed with artificial intelligence algorithms and big data to make progress toward sustainable urban development goals. The bulk of the world's more than one billion slum residents lives in developing nations, particularly in Africa and Asia, where they suffer a variety of issues. Key urban sustainability challenges concerning energy, circularity, water, mobility, economic prosperity, housing, gender-related empowerment and equality, urban planning, safety and security, and natural disaster protection are identified in a report prepared for the commission by the UN Secretary-General.
More in News