下面你将听到一段有关城市规划与环保的讲话。

With two-thirds of people expected to live in cities by 2050 and with urban areas accounting for 70 percent of the emissions, the challenge is both clear and urgent: cities must be reimagined. We are at a tipping point. We have seen sub-national and local governments stepping up and taking forceful commitments. While it is increasingly recognized that urban planning is critical, what is needed is a "planning revolution" that yields cities with mixed-use neighborhoods and buildings, and with an emphasis on integrated urban systems, including green roofs and walls and biodiversity corridors, and a better use of spare capacity through a sharing economy. //
    Pioneering solutions to address environmental challenges will be at the heart. This is particularly true in relation to urban transport. Some countries, such as Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, and Norway, are planning to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars in the next few decades. In Madrid, 24 streets are being redesigned for walking and by 2020, cars will not be able to drive in 500 acres of the center. In Italy, all fossil fuel vehicles will be banned from Milan’s historical center by 2029. //
    Reducing emissions from cars is clearly key but improving public transport networks is also critical. Action, such as doubling bus network coverage and frequency in cities, could prevent the premature deaths of over one million people per year from air pollution and traffic accidents. In 2013, an Australian city introduced the world’s first electric, solar-powered bus, and there are other examples in Britain and the United States. The Chinese city of Shenzhen has become the first city to make all its public buses—more than 16,000 vehicles—electric. In Zhuzhou, authorities are operating an electric "trackless train" that uses sophisticated sensors to follow pre-planned routes. However, there is still an environmental price to be paid if the electricity powering the buses is mainly generated from coal. //
    In a city of Estonia, authorities have introduced Europe’s largest free public transport system, so residents and students are able to travel free on trams and buses. Launched in 2013, the scheme has already led to a 7.5 per cent annual decrease in congestion in the city center. In Vietnam, authorities in Ho Chi Minn City launched the Green Transport Development Project, with the World Bank, to cut congestion and reduce road deaths. //
    Buildings will also have to be transformed. Many cities are working to integrate sustainability into building codes and regulations, sometimes with support from public-private network. Mexico City has drafted new regulations, including energy efficiency measures for new buildings. In the Brazilian city of Salvador, builders are offered a discount on property taxes if they use sustainable technologies and reduce emissions. Chile’s capital Santiago is investing in energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy projects, including rooftop solar projects. //
    Waste management also poses a major challenge, but innovation is happening too. In China, Ningbo has received World Bank backing for an advanced waste separation, collection and treatment strategy that is meant to encourage recycling. In Delhi in India, where over 9,000 tonnes of waste are generated every day, a composting plant was reopened to produce compost and resource-derived fuel from municipal waste. The plant handles 200 tonnes of waste per day, but that capacity is due to be expanded. //
    Developing countries are often not equipped to keep pace with the speed of urbanization. A major problem is the lack of data and the capacity to analyze it. Authorities also need support in devising and enforcing sustainable planning and cross-sectoral policies. Areas key for addressing climate and air quality, as well as citizens’ well-being, are energy systems and buildings, all requiring long-term investments that lock us in for decades to come—we need to make sure that they lock us in on a sustainable urban development path. //
                                                                                                                                        (原文选自联合国环境署新闻)