Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2023: Digital Innovations Empower Urban Net-Zero Carbon Transition

The “Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2023: Digital Innovations Empower Urban Net-Zero Carbon Transition” is the third flagship report of UN-Habitat China Future Cities Council (CFCC). On Earth, no individual or city can escape the impact of climate change. Currently, over 50% of the global population resides in cities, and it is projected that, by 2050, urban populations will constitute around 68% of the world's population. Cities contribute to 80% of the global GDP but also generate 70% of the world's energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The battle for sustainable development will be con or lost in cities.

Digital innovations present a tremendous opportunity for cities to achieve net-zero carbon. Technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence and digital twins have made significant achievements in realizing dual carbon goals. It plays unique role in areas like data monitoring, data calculation, data feedback, and data evaluation. Moreover, digital technologies can effectively facilitate the coordination of urban energy supply and consumption, promote clean energy, innovate energy models, foster new formats, encourage green consumption, and enhance the efficient management and provision of urban services. These digital solutions can reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and enhance resilience, thus realizing a net-zero carbon future for cities.

The report summarizes 6 main scenarios of digital technologies that applied to achieve urban net-zero carbon transition including urban building and housing, urban mobility, urban water, urban waste and circularity, urban energy and carbon management; it also provide a roadmap for cities and enterprises to achieve net-zero carbon from mastering carbon data, formulating carbon strategies and smart carbon actions. The 10 good practice cases exploring net-zero carbon development, from strategic planning, community governance, industrial park management, low-carbon buildings development, low-carbon transportation and other aspects to provide other cities around the world with Chinese solutions for urban net zero carbon transition. At the same time, the report also issued a global urban digital net zero carbon action initiative, calling for the urban net-zero carbon transition through the application of digital technology, digital innovation