On 11 November at the U.S. Climate Action Center at COP23, a town hall style event brought together members of the U.S. People’s Delegation, diverse climate activists and local leaders from across the United States to discuss U.S. climate action moving forward. The session opened with leaders from various levels of state, regional and local
East Asian cities are developing rapidly. With over half of the global population living in cities and increased urbanization, around seventy percent of worldwide energy-related emissions come from cities. However, cities the world over are also working at the local level to tackle climate change and provide sustainable futures for their residents. On 10 November at
Transport contributes to 23 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, pointing to the significant potential for mitigation action in this sector. Currently, 75 percent of national climate action plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), identify passenger transport in urban areas as an important sector for reducing emissions. Passenger transport is indeed a major contributor
On 9 November 2017, the Cities & Regions Pavilion at COP23 hosted three back to back sessions highlighting African voices from local and national governments as well as non-governmental organizations and the private sector. Throughout the day, three main themes emerged: the development opportunities and challenges posed by rapid urbanization and increasing energy demand across
Since the first industrial revolution, extractive and manufacturing industries have formed the backbone of local economies, leading to rapid urbanization of their surrounding areas. Cities have, in turn, developed a spatial composition and social identity linked to their industrial heritage. The industrial model that shaped certain cities has, over time, proven to be unsustainable. Environmental
The Paris Agreement acknowledges the role that cities, towns and regions can play in tackling climate change and preparing for its effects. Now, local, regional and municipal governments are stepping up, and city-to-city partnerships are one mechanism that allows cities to plan and implement climate action at the local level, learning through knowledge exchange and
Severe weather events are increasing the world over from flooding in Bangladesh to heat waves across Southern Europe. To better manage the effects of climate change in Germany and abroad, the City of Bonn and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia are monitoring the impacts of climate change and stepping up their adaptation planning and efforts.
Hosted by the city of Seoul, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Seoul Mayors Forum on Climate Change 2017 shows how global coalitions and networks are supporting local climate action. The Forum hosted key discussions on the importance of city to city cooperation, citizen
On 1 October, Kaohsiung will welcome visitors from around the world to the EcoMobility World Festival 2017. They are coming to witness a bold experiment: Kaohsiung is transforming the streets of the historic Hamasen neighborhood into a space dedicated to ecomobile vehicles such as bikes, public transport and light electric vehicles. The city has long been preparing
An increasing number of cities across the world are getting on board and reaping the benefits of district energy. According to the report District Energy in Cities published by UN Environment in partnership with ICLEI, UN-Habitat and the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency, cities around the world are adopting district energy systems. So why is