Action in the time of global change

The triennial ICLEI World Congress represents a unique convening point for the growing global ICLEI network. It is a platform to take stock of our urban world – the challenges ahead of us, past success we can leverage and the path towards global urban transformation. The pace and scale of global change is unprecedented. On 

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Resilient Cities 2018: Driving global conversations

Knowledge exchange and technical deep dives are always core elements of the annual Resilient Cities congress. The program is designed for a critical examination of emerging issues in urban resilience and informative exchanges around them. Sessions cover a diversity of topics, so that every participant can find his or her place in the conversation, from 

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Rising optimism for sinking land? Stories from Louisiana

by Charlotte Rasche, Masters Candidate at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Resilient Cities 2018 volunteer How can a government take action if roughly every 100 minutes an area the size of football field is drowning? In Louisiana, the coastal landmass is disappearing under water. An interplay of factors is contributing to this development, including natural sediment 

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One city, many realities: The climate story in Lima

Peru is moving forward on climate action. Just few days before the Resilient Cities congress, the government passed Law 30754 – the Framework Act on Climate Change. This law aims to establish principles, approaches and general provisions to design, execute, monitor and evaluate public policies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Ministry of Environment 

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A snapshot of urban resilience

At the end of last year, nations had submitted nine National Adaptation Plans under the UNFCCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Now, there are 24 submissions from the total 197 nations that have signed the treaty. Local and regional governments are moving ahead themselves to advance resilience planning. They are progressing towards the 

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Stories from Mozambique: High impact, low cost interventions

by Sophia Rettberg, student at University College Maastricht and Resilient Cities 2018 volunteer Coastal cities in Mozambique are responding to a range of hazards – and often doing so with limited resources and funding. At Resilient Cities 2018, mayors and senior municipal managers of Pemba and Quelimane presented some key projects aiming to address these 

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Cities and climate science: The next frontier

At present, urban communities contribute up to 70 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions globally. They are also among the most vulnerable hotspots for climate change impacts. It is critical that we now deploy evidence-based, science-driven to shape policy and action across urban areas worldwide. The Cities IPCC conference held this past March in Edmonton, 

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Insurance companies and cities: Allies in urban resilience

Once impacted by natural disasters, cities are relying on insurance companies to rebuild and recover, which is driving up premiums. Constructive partnerships between cities and insurance companies can lay the foundation for a more proactive planning model, where cities and insurance companies plan together before a disaster strikes. As it is, rebuilding after a shock 

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News from the front-line

At COP23, the 23rd United Nations Climate Change Conference, ICLEI and GLISPA – the Global Island Partnership – launched Front-line Cities and Islands, an initiative uniting islands and coastal cities to advance resilience building. This coalition is supported by a range of regional and international agencies, including the COP23 Presidency. Initiatives like Front-line are evidence that islands and 

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Multilevel climate governance: A hot topic for the next decade

The Talanoa Dialogue launched at COP23, the 23rd United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2017, is designed to take stock of and strengthen climate action globally. It also opens the door to a more inclusive and collaborative approach to climate governance by connecting nations and climate stakeholders. The Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogues, facilitated by ICLEI – Local Governments 

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