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London leads charge towards sustainable megacities
London is the only ‘megacity’ in the world where electricity use per capita is going down while GDP is going up, according to a new University of Toronto study, writes Edie.net.
The UK capital’s success can be attributed to rising electricity prices, according to the report, as a result of the country’s decarbonisation policies. The city also has effective taxes on waste disposal and a comprehensive public transport system.
London was recently ranked as the world’s second most sustainable city by the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index. That ranking was reinforced by this new study, which examined the ‘metabolism of megacities’ – i.e. the amount of resources consumed and waste produced by urban areas larger than 10m people.
But London was the exception rather than the rule, as the world’s megacities are home to 6.7% of the world’s population, yet they consume 9.3% of global electricity and produce 12.6% of global waste. cities are home to 6.7% of the world’s population, yet they consume 9.3% of global electricity and produce 12.6% of global waste.
