(Circular) cities at the forefront: Insights from UrbanShift’s Latin America Forum

As the world continues to shape the framework of the much-anticipated “Global Plastic Treaty”, the urgency to address the plastic pollution crisis has never been more pronounced. Spearheaded by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution, this international legally binding instrument has been in the making since 2022, aiming to complete its work by 

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Latin American cities rally in unprecedented line-up of events as UN cancels regional climate week

In its Quarterly Report 2024, the UNFCCC confirmed that this year’s Regional Climate Weeks, including the Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week, have been canceled until further notice due to “lack of funding.” These regional climate weeks are seen as crucial for promoting multilateral partnerships and coordination, fostering innovative approaches, and uniting efforts to tackle 

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Insuring our future: Strengthening disaster resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean

In November 2023, the Urban Infrastructure Insurance Facility (UIIF) Project hosted its first in-person event in San José, Costa Rica. The gathering brought together representatives from various Latin American and Caribbean cities and ICLEI, united by a common goal: To enhance their understanding and management of natural disasters. The dialogue was a melting pot of 

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Top 10 global sustainability events not to miss in 2024

In 2024, the global climate agenda is at a critical juncture following the outcomes of COP28, which have been described as the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era. The stocktake at COP28 recognized the urgent need to cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, to address 

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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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Fighting climate change in Pakistan: The case of Karachi

This blog was written by Izzah Sheikh and edited by Sajili Oberoi and Matteo Bizzotto, from ICLEI World Secretariat Karachi, one of the most populated cities in the world and the financial capital of Pakistan, is strongly committed to accelerated climate action. Like many other industrial cities, Karachi faces problems that are further exacerbated by 

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In a historic move, nature takes center stage at COP27

“The outcome of COP27 will be crucial, not just in terms of tackling the climate crisis, but also to safeguard the future for nature”, said Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD). COP27 is critical for nature as it precedes the delivery of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) 

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Cities responding to the climate emergency through innovative finance, people-centered approaches, and resilience initiatives

This blog was written by Matteo Bizzotto and Sajili Oberoi from the ICLEI Global Communications team. Daring Cities 2022 showed once again that cities and regions are the epicenter of the climate emergency response. With perspectives from every region of the world, we heard loud and clear the following: Now is the time to formalize 

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How science will keep 1.5°C alive for your city

As national and regional governments grapple to “keep 1.5°C alive” with updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), science-based climate targets offer local governments a clear path towards effective climate mitigation. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (working Group I) published in 2021, human-induced global warming will see temperatures surpass 2 

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You can’t manage what you don’t measure. How climate reporting tracks progress and secures investment.

This blog was written by Braoin MacLauchlan and Matteo Bizzotto, with contributions by Einav Grinberg, Laura Noriega, Carla Marino, Maryke van Staden (ICEI World Secretariat) and George Bush (CDP).  A growing sense of urgency, propelled by the IPCC reports, COP26 discussions, and the need for real impact by 2030 mean climate policies have never been 

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