Nine ways design can forge a circular economy in cities

Ecodesign and the circular economy are interconnected concepts that share the common objective of addressing environmental challenges and promoting sustainable practices. While they share the same goals, they operate at distinct phases within a product’s lifecycle, resulting in a comprehensive approach to sustainable development.   What is Ecodesign? Ecodesign, also known as sustainable design or 

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Cities empowering youth for climate action: Lessons to replicate (and how to do it)

International Youth Day on 12 August recognizes young people as drivers of change. How can local and regional governments effectively engage them? From energy mentoring programs and youth councils to video campaigns, here are cases for inspiration on how ICLEI Members include youth voices in climate action and a checklist for city leaders to get 

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Cities and Subnationals Weigh in on a Global Plastics Treaty at INC-2

This blog was written in collaboration with Ariel Dekovic, Charis Hoffmann, Kobie Brand, and Togo Uchida from ICLEI. In early 2022, during the resumed Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA5.2), nation states agreed to establish a binding global plastics treaty by 2024, which should work towards ending plastic pollution. The process to arrive at such 

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Addressing the climate crisis in socially unequal areas: Global funds, poverty eradication and risk management

This blog has been written by Alessia Salamon from the Resilient Development team, and edited by Matteo Bizzotto, from the Global Communications team at ICLEI World Secretariat It is widely recognized that the impacts of the climate crisis are not evenly felt across the world. In fact, developing countries and cities often lack appropriate coping 

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Will the fight against climate change SURGe in 2023?

Since COP27 wound down late last year (November 6-18), much of the post event commentary has centered on the fact that as observed by The Conversation, the gathering “failed to go beyond the 2021 Glasgow climate pact’s promise to phase down unabated coal power (and) announced no new targets or commitments” tied to reducing greenhouse 

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Just Transition: A Necessity for a City’s Sustainable Development

This piece was written with contributions from Next Urban Idea Ltd. and ICLEI KCC, and edited by Matteo Bizzotto and Sajili Oberoi, ICLEI World Secretariat. Photo credit: New Taipei City Government How can the most populated city in Asia be a pioneer of sustainability and climate resilience? Climate crisis is hitting us all on an 

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Saitama Sustainable Cities Summit ~E-KIZUNA Global Summit~

From 22-24 November 2022, Saitama City will host the ‘Saitama Sustainable Cities Summit ~E-KIZUNA Global Summit~’, which brings cities from Japan and around the world together to share and spread various ideas and environmental issues. The point of this summit is ‘Realizing sustainable cities through immediate action’, Saitama hopes that the summit will be an 

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A Cities and Regions Guide to COP27

Everything your city or region needs to know about this year’s global climate event and driving multilevel climate action during and beyond the conference. Want to be a part of the action in Sharm El Sheikh? The Multilevel Action Pavilion is in-person and online! Register today, view the full agenda, and subscribe to the daily 

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How an online platform is providing 6000 cities with data and circular solutions

This blog was originally published on the ICLEI Circulars website and written by ICLEI’s Circular Development team and Circle Economy. After a year of development and piloting, the Circle Lab for Cities program is proud to announce the launch of Ganbatte – the first online platform providing key data insights and proven solutions on circular 

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Eco-School Districts in Kyoto City

Background to the creation of Eco-School Districts (Eco-Gakku) Kyoto City is an inland city located in the center of Japan and has a population of approximately 1.42 million. Kyoto City was the ancient capital of Japan for over 1,200 years, and today, it has become a tourist city, attracting 50 million visitors a year. The 

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