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Work on the Urban Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a key initiative of the UEA Secretariat to protect the global environment, is progressing well during its second of three research years, holding a Core-Team meeting of experts from various international organizations including UNEP, World Bank, UNFCCC for consultation and seeking to develop a methodology for conducting pilot testing, and addressing other issues. The second year of research will include development of the Urban CDM Framework and Methodology, the proposal of the Carbon Emission Reduction Strategy and Low-Carbon Green City Framework, as well as the development of a methodology for undertaking the Urban CDM Pilot Testing, explained the UEA Secretariat. The project on the development of the Urban CDM, as agreed by attending UEA Member cities at the 2011 UEA Gwangju Summit, is well underway, seeking to build a common framework together with the UEA Secretariat, UNEP and Korea Environment Institute(KEI). The first year of research has already concluded last May, with key results including the Feasibility Study of the Urban CDM reported by UNEP. (see www.unep.org/urban_environment/PDFs/

UNEP_UrbanCDMreport.pdf.) The findings suggest that existing CDMs mainly consist of single projects and therefore have difficulties to act as a carbon finance system in cities in developing countries due to their size and approach. Therefore the Urban CDM is necessary as a new carbon financing system for these cities while greenhouse gas reduction programs are sought at a city level. The second-year research phase, conducted together by UEA Secretariat and KEI, suggests: (1) the development of a framework and methodology of the Urban CDM, (2) implementation of the Carbon Emission Reduction Strategy, (3) development of a framework to build LowCarbon Green Cities, and (4) Pilot Tests of the Urban CDM framework. In addition, for the second year of research, UNEP suggests: (1) the selection of pilot cities, and (2) a series of meetings with international stakeholders (e.g. UNFCCC, World Bank) to conduct CDM activities. The UEA Secretariat, together with UNEP, KEI, and other participating parties will complete the research in the third year, including the completion of the Urban CDM Pilot Tests in UEA member cities, and plans to register the Urban CDM methodology to UNFCCC by 2014.

Urban Environmental Accords

Core-Team video conference discussing the Urban CDM

International experts review ToR on developing Urban CDM Methodology
Core Team, a working-group experts organized to develop the Urban CDM held a video conference 25 October, and reviewed Terms of Reference(ToR) on Urban CDM methodology development. The Core Team conference, including representatives from the World Bank and other international organizations, conducted technical reviews to improve the quality of the second year of the Urban CDM research for UNEP and KEI. Core-Team members include experts from UNEP, UNFCCC, World Bank, UN-HABITAT, Korea Environment Institute(KEI), Korea Research Institute for Human Settlement(KRIHS) and Dr. Kwi-Gon Kim, UEA Secretariat General. The result of this review will be reflected in the second year research development of the Urban CDM. The Core-Team also agreed on having a workshop in Gwangju in the near future to further discuss development of the

integrated ToR for enhancing applicability of the Urban CDM, and announce overall results of the first year of research on the Urban CDM. For information, 'Core-Team for developing framework of the Urban

CDM' was set up in order to improve the quality of the Urban CDM framework, following a proposal by Gwangju Mayor Un Tae Kang, Co-chairman of UEA, on his visit to the World Bank in Washington D.C. on last June.

UEA Secretariat collects Member Cities eco-friendly best practices

UEA Secretariat is targeting UEA member cities to introduce their best practices. When member cities submit their low-carbon policies and best practices, the UEA Secretariat will share them with cities around the world through newsletters, UEA website, Urbanization Knowledge Platform, etc. The UEA Secretariat has requested further submissions by sending a letter of request and application form to each

UEA Website Opened

The UEA Secretariat opened its website to reinforce solidarity, and circulate information with member cities, at www.ueama.org. The website introduces UEA member cities and their functions and also continuously provides updated documents relating to the Urban CDM and best practices of worldwide eco-friendly cities.

member city. The main relevant sectors are energy, transportation,

water, land use, food, and construction.

UEA NEWSLETTER

Urban Environment Evaluation Index to be announced

In accordance with the agreement at the 2011 UEA Gwangju Summit, the Urban Environmental Evaluation Index is to be released soon, developed by UNEP and KEI during the first research year. The UEA Secretariat announced that this Index will be a valuable standard to assess the environmental performances of worldwide cities and nominate the candidate cities of Global Low-Carbon Green City Award to be initially awarded in 2014. The index is composed of 19 indices (see table below) including 17 which cover the six key sectors including carbon circulation, and two additional optional indices. These have already completed final review by the international organization's advisory group, a peer-review group consisting international organizations including UNEP, UNFCCC, UNESCO, UNDP, World Bank, OECD, etc.

Fields Carbon Circulation Environmental Pollution Water Resources Waste Land Use Nitrogen & Phosphorus Optional Index

Suggested indices 1. CO2 emission (ton/year), 2. CH4 emission (ton/per capita/year), 3. renewable energy 4. PM10 emission ( g/ ), 5. PM2.5 emission ( g/ ), 6. NOx (ton/per capita/year) 7. SOx (ton/per capita/year), 8. NH3 (ton/per capita/year) 9. water waste per head ( /per capita/year), 10. waste (%/year) 11. total solid waste (ton/per capita/year), 12. rate of solid waste 13. annual artificial area ( /year), 14. nature vegetation area ( /year) 15. redevelopment area restoration ( /year) 16. annual amount of nitrogen load in streams (ton/year), 17. annual amount of phosphorus load in streams (ton/year) 18. city bio-diversity index, 19. water resource effect index

UEA

Urban Environmental Accords

Mayor of Gwangju & Co-Chief Commissioner of UEA

Mr. Un-Tae Kang Introduced the Urban CDM at Rio+20

Also visited World Bank to promote the Urban CDM
Mr. Un-Tae Kang, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City and Co-Chief Commissioner of UEA, gave a keynote speech at the Global Town Hall of Rio+20 on 18 June titled Cities Can Save the Earth to officially introduce the Urban CDM to the worldwide community as an effective city-level response to environmental issues. He said: We must move forward towards the green dream and put into practice measures to save our only residence, planet Earth, from environmental crisis . He then introduced the Urban Environmental Evaluation Index and Urban CDM , valued as the keys to tackling global climate issues, which were agreed on at the 2011 UEA Gwangju Summit and are currently under development by UEA Secretariat and UNEP. He further proposed to the Rio+20 Conference (UNCSD) that the Urban Environmental Evaluation Index and the Urban CDM to be introduced to the global society. At the keynote speech, Mayor Kang introduced the best practices and policies of Gwangju to participating city representatives and the international society in order to showcase examples of climate response at a city level. In particular, the Carbon Bank System, of which almost half of Gwangju s households participate, was considered the best model of Green Governance . Efforts will be made to spread this system worldwide in sectors of transportation and green consumption, and so forth , added Kang. He also introduced Gwangju s endeavors to reduce carbon emissions in the areas of urban planning, land use and traffic policies, such as the redevelopment of old buildings to minimize traffic congestion. He then highlighted cities role to contribute to sustainable development by promoting and fostering eco-friendly industries, creating the demand for green

industries, and forming an environmenteconomy virtuous circle. Figures related with UEA who attended this conference showed a deep interest in the Chairperson s suggestions and shared the view that it would be a very useful tool for development of global environment. Additionally, he visited the World Bank and gave a special lecture on the theme of Cities can save the Earth and held discussions with environmental experts and World Bank representatives. Especially, as a result of these discussions,

the World Bank concurred in setting up a Core-Team to take charge of the the Urban CDM, and so organized groups of experts from UNEP, UNFCCC, World Bank, KEI (Korea Environment Institute), and KRIHS (Korea Research Institute of Human Settlement). The Core-Team achieved the first outcomes after conducting technical reviews on the Terms of Reference(ToR) for the Urban CDM development framework on October 25th.