Cities Stockholm+50 High Level Forum - Concept note

Considering that cities account for around two thirds of global energy consumption and global CO2 emissions, debate on the role of cities in combating climate change has generally focused on cities’ territorial carbon footprint and energy use. But the tendency to define cities by their administrative borders is increasingly giving way to a systemic approach that also includes transboundary supply chains. After all, virtually all of the food, water, energy and construction materials consumed in cities are produced outside of their administrative boundaries. This reliance on external actors will only increase in the years to come, considering that around 60% of the urban areas required to accommodate the earth’s population by 2050 have yet to be built. In Stockholm alone, tens of thousands of new homes will be constructed until 2030.