Sustainable Cities: 15 sustainable cities to be established among APEC members

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China established its first low-carbon model town in 2010 as an example of how an area can be developed in a sustainable fashion. CGTN's Ning Hong went to the Yujiabu district of the city of Tianjin to see how its low-carbon targets are being met.

What does a low-carbon city look like? Tianjin's Yujiabu District can serve as the template. Beneath everyone's feet here are a centralized cooling supply center that provides air conditioning for buildings. Using ice thermal storage technology, and taking advantage of highs and lows in demand, the facility can reduce energy consumption by some 20 percent.

GU YAN, OPERATION MANAGER TIANJIN INNOVATIVE STARTING ENERGY INVESTMENT CO., LTD "Electricity prices are low at night, so we use it to freeze water."

The seven cooling stations here can provide air conditioning for seven million square meters of office space.

NING HONG YUJIABU, TIANJIN "The rate of China's urbanization reached 57 percent at the end of 2016. Cutting energy consumption could lead to fundamental changes in the way cities are developed, resulting in industrial restructuring, land preservation, and environmental protection."

The APEC Sustainable Energy Center in Tianjin has been instrumental in these projects. It helps cities reduce their energy consumption through the use of more efficient technologies.  

ZHU LI, DIRECTOR APEC SUSTAINABLE ENERGY CENTER, TIANJIN "First I think the transformation to become a low carbon city is rooted in the usage of low carbon energy. This could essentially help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, control pollution, and improve air quality."

The APEC center is pushing for the establishment of more so-called sustainable cities in APEC member economies. The goal is to reduce the amount of energy these cities consume per capita by 45 percent by the year 2035 from 2005 levels.

ZHU LI, DIRECTOR APEC SUSTAINABLE ENERGY CENTER, TIANJIN "A lot of countries in the APEC area are now under or will soon be under the process of fast urbanization. So if the construction of basic infrastructure in particular fails to meet low carbon requirements, pollution problems will rise."

Officials are confident economic development can be pursued in a way that raises incomes for residents, while preventing the deterioration of environmental conditions. The APEC Sustainable Energy Center wants a total of 15 sustainable cities in member economies. For everyone struggling with pollution, all this can't come soon enough. Ning Hong, CGTN, Tianjin.