24 November 2009: UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka, Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, and Sören Hermansen, Danish Hero of the Environment, were given the Göteborg Award for Sustainable Development during a ceremony that stressed the urban dimension of the climate change and environment debate.
Jury Chair Stefan Edman underlined that urban areas house half of the world’s population and generate 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. He added that “the battle to create more sustainable cities and urban environments – environmentally and socially – is one of the most decisive factors facing the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.” [UN Habitat Press Release]