Data-governed solutions for unprecedented sustainability challenges

Over the coming years, the effects of climate change are expected to intensify around the world. How then can digital governance help us best prepare for this future?

Cities are on the front line of climate change. Housing over half the world's population, they are already responsible for more than two- thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions and experience some of the worst environmental impacts. In 2023 alone, cities including New York and Accra had been submerged by flood water after just a few hours, or even minutes, of heavy rainfall — events symptomatic of a changing climate and, all too often, a lack of resilient infrastructure.

With aggressive action, city emissions could be brought to net-zero by 2050 — but failing to act could see those emissions double in the same timeframe. At the same time, cities need to adapt and plan for a changed future — one that will require them to use less energy, and to develop in ways that are agile and resilient to climate pressures.

Change at this scale requires leadership, but it also requires data, engagement and effective governance.

Utilizing data to support change at scale

Digital cities are set to play a pivotal role in decarbonization efforts, putting data and technology to work to improve decision-making and quality of life for citizens. This digital transformation is unlocking opportunities, from smart public transit and utilities to public engagement and participatory planning.

Critically, data-driven climate governance also has the potential to improve transparency, accountability and decision-making. With operational energy use in buildings representing roughly 30 percent of global energy consumption, cities need accurate data to enable them to understand and manage their assets and develop informed policy.

Big data approaches have become essential to the functioning of smart and sustainable cities. Innovations include smart buildings, meters and environmental monitoring, as well as “big data analytics”, translating vast quantities of urban data into useful knowledge for enhanced decision-making.

For instance, the Swedish capital of Stockholm has invested over €70 million in accessible e-government services, creating a platform to enable city officials to analyze and share data across departments and agencies, as well as use data analytics to improve the efficiency of services such as traffic management and waste collection. The city sees open data as a fundamental principle for the future, making it publicly available and empowering city officials and citizens to make better informed decisions.

A clear consensus framework was essential for the project's success. The political and civil leadership collaborated to establish a vision and plan that was implemented at every level, with a strategic mandate providing other departments in the city with flexibility and freedom, reporting on their progress against the vision and targets in the yearly budget, rather than escalating every decision at the political level.

Cities must also increasingly be able to anticipate, respond and adapt to the risks posed by climate change. With a forecast of dangerous climate risk levels before the end of the twenty-first century, both mitigation and adaptation are of critical importance.

Access to data is critical for disaster preparedness and management, and there are increasing efforts to digitalize disaster data using cloud-based technologies, alongside strengthening the capacities of national, regional and local governments for disaster risk-informed development planning.

Digital tools also provide the means to promote public awareness, reach vulnerable communities, disseminate critical information, and undertake community engagement. Slawi, a small town in Indonesia, for instance, has adopted a digital tool to crowd-source and map disaster-prone areas, with the objective of empowering local volunteers and supporting both the government and the public in disaster response efforts (UNDP, 2023, paras 1-4).

Building buy-in and accountability

To build effective delivery of large-scale sustainability ambitions, cities may also use technology to create buy-in and demonstrate public accountability.

Local governments across the world are committing to targets to address the twin challenges of climate and environmental breakdown; over 2,300 jurisdictions in 40 countries have declared a climate emergency — representing over 1 billion citizens.

To achieve these targets, cities are setting of clear plans and goals, such as the development of Green City Action Plans (EBRD) or Climate Action Plans. They are also looking to using digital tools to support the public dissemination of commitments and progress.

For example, the UN Global Climate Action portal is an online platform where actors from around the globe can display and track their climate commitments and progress. Actions, initiatives and other data are uploaded to the portal by partners including CDP, whose Open Data Portal provides climate change and sustainability data from more than 1,200 city, state and regional governments globally.

There are also initiatives at the level of specific infrastructure projects. AECOM recently collaborated with C40 Cities — the network of major cities around the world that have committed to fighting climate change — to develop a suite of digital tools and guidance that help to embed equity and inclusion within sustainable infrastructure projects.

In conclusion, smart and sustainable cities need to ensure that every city development considers: (i) the impact on future emissions; (ii) the risks facing the city and the resilience of its infrastructure; and (iii) the way in which decisions will engender opportunities for all citizens.

These considerations can only be fully accounted for when reliable and accessible data allows decision-makers to understand trends, assess opportunities, and respond to challenges. Comprehensive success requires clarity of focus, good data and a commitment to inclusion and accountability.