On 20th September, the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government will be hosting a Conference on Urban Green and Innovation Development. Members and supporters with an interest in green urban development are invited to attend the conference and any of the parallel forums by completing the reply form. At the beginning of the conference National President Chris Lipscombe will deliver a short video statement of support. His statement is reproduced below.
Vice President Qian Wenhua, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, friends,
大家好,
Kia ora,
The New Zealand China Friendship Society extends its warmest congratulations to the organisers of this forum on green urban development. With over half of the world’s population now living in cities, it’s imperative that we manage urban growth to minimise our use of scarce resources and our negative impact on the environment.
In New Zealand, our cities are relatively small in size and the forest, farmland or coastline is never far away. We are lucky that we have nature on our doorstep. Like every country, however, we are faced with challenges as our city populations continue to grow. In this journey, we can all learn from each other.
Green urban development is not just about cities, of course. Cities are major generators of carbon emissions and thus contribute to climate change. For many Pacific Island nations, climate change and the accompanying rise in sea-levels is becoming a matter of survival. Green urban development is therefore critical, not just for cities, but for the world.
I commend the organisers for assembling participants from across the globe to share their experience and practices in urban planning and management. I look forward to learning how we can work together in this global endeavour.
Best wishes for your forum,
谢谢大家
