03/07/10 - The city of Nanjing today opened the fourth Expo Theme Forum, "Towards a Low-Carbon City: Environmental Protection and Urban Responsibilities."

Nanjing, the ancient capital of China and today the capital of Jiangtsu Province, is home to 8 million people and has undergone in recent years double digit economic growth. It is also one the 11 cities recognized as examples of good environmental management in China, 5 of which are in the Jiangtsu Province. In light of the continuous urbanization process of the province and its cities, this forum is a timely event for the Nanjing.

The declaration by the Minister of Environmental Protection of China, Mr. Zhou Shengxian, that economic development must go hand in hand with environmental development was echoed by Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP and by Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). While industrialized countries have followed a development path that gave priority to economic development with environmental concerns to be addressed at a later stage, developing countries cannot afford to undertake this path. Economic and environmental policies should go hand in hand. "The best environmental policy is also the best economic policy" according to Mr. Tang Dingding, Director of the Environmental Development Center of China.

Cities are key solution providers to environmental management as they are the frontiers of innovation and the places where sustainable issues are addressed. Promoting low carbon-cities involves different areas where cooperation is central as climate effects do not distinguish between cities. Alongside inter-governmental activities, the cooperation between cities can be a highly effective way to address environmental problems concretely.

Tomorrow, the forum will continue for a second day of work.