Park Won Soon, Mayor of Seoul and President of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, outlined the transformative measures needed to improve air quality and address climate change in an article in a recent edition of the UNEP publication Our Planet. Mayor Park uses the South Korean capital of Seoul as a strong example of an urban area that is embracing change to meet environmental and social challenges.

In the article, Mayor Park discusses how Seoul is on the road toward a "new urbanisation" which creates a sustainable city that enables humankind and nature to coexist, tackles climate change and establishes a foundation for energy self-reliance. Mayor Park concludes the article by highlighting the importance of cities acting together, citing his leadership within ICLEI and engagement with the Compact of Mayors as important steps in coalition building among cities.

The second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly of the UN Environment Program (UNEA-2) recently took place in Nairobi, where UNEA delegations discussed how the world can deliver on the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This year, the event focused strongly on air quality as a central issue in creating a healthy environment with healthy people.

To read Mayor Park’s article in full, click here.