Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
4. Another effort would be to promote interventions that can help combat
climate change and reduce heat island effects and that can contribute
to better use of energy, such as roof top planting (green roofs).
5. In arid zones, awareness could be promoted regarding the use of the
ecological landscape to ensure shading in arid zones and to reduce
the use of water.
6. Encouraging garbage separation and recycling would preserve
resources and maximise the benefit from latent energy used during
initial manufacturing.
10.7 Bottom-Up Approaches versus Top-Down Interventions
Awareness and initiatives related to energy efficiency and the use of renew-
ables are not limited to national governments and to international organisa-
tions and policies.* They are gaining wide recognition on the local levels
too. There are numerous efforts in the field, including local government;
civic organisations such as community-based organisations (CBOs), non-
governmental organisations (NGOs), or customers' rights protection organ-
isations; research institutes; the private sector and its Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs); or individual interest groups. Some of these initiatives
are emerging in Cairo, the second most polluted city of the world. One of
these initiatives, the Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas,
has been undertaken by the German Technical Cooperation (GIZ). The over-
all objective of this initiative is to promote resilient communities and their
efforts to adapt to the changing climate conditions and to increase informa-
tion levels among public administration and civil society regarding the con-
sequences of climate change, particularly in informal areas.
†,‡
*
Current international efforts include: The Millennium Development Goals and the Post 2015
Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the UN. On the regional level, there is the Arab
strategy for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development promoted by the Arab League,
and the EU Growth Strategy 2020.
†
Main objectives of this programme are (1) development of a participatory and community-
based adaptation strategy for informal areas in collaboration with Egyptian partners;
(2) implementation of small-scale adaptation measures in informal areas in collaboration
with residents and civil society in order to enhance urban resilience; and (3) awareness rais-
ing and capacity development among local residents, civil society, ministries, public agencies
and local administration on climate change adaptation and urban resilience.
‡
Other partners are the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), the Egyptian
Meteorological Authority (EMA), the Governorates of Cairo and Giza, the United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) and the Information and Decision
Support Center (IDSC), www.egypt-urban.net; Contact: Carl Philipp Schuck, carl-philipp.
schuck@giz.de
