By John J. Berger, PhD, an energy and environmental policy specialist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who is currently working on a new book on resolving the climate crisis. — STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Stockholm is aligned with the Swedish government in its belief that climate change is one of the world’s greatest challenges. Sweden’s parliament, prompted
Last year ended with a sense that the momentum on sustainable development is durable. It was a hard blow when the U.S. backed out of the Paris Agreement, but the global and U.S. domestic response was swift and forceful. All in all, 2017 reaffirmed that nations, cities and towns, regions, civil society and the private
The Ville de Montréal is making sustainability a reality. From electrifying transport to promoting urban agriculture, Montréal is enacting policies and initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help create a safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable city. As host of the ICLEI World Congress 2018, Montréal’s initiative on climate and sustainability will be on display
By John J. Berger, PhD, an energy and environmental policy specialist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who is currently working on a new book on resolving the climate crisis. — It’s been 20 years since Stockholm became the world’s first city to create a formal climate action plan. Back then, the city was producing
Buenos Aires, Recife and Campinas have several things in common. They are all large cities in Latin America dealing with the impacts of climate change. They face drought and intense periods of rains and flooding. They also share a strong commitment to take climate action. These cities is committed to the Global Covenant of Mayors
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
By John J. Berger, PhD, an energy and environmental policy specialist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who is currently working on a new book on resolving the climate crisis. — Copenhagen, Denmark—How does a major European capital wean itself from fossil fuels and reinvent itself as a sustainable city? Having already cut its CO2
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
By John J. Berger, PhD, an energy and environmental policy specialist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who is currently working on a new book on resolving the climate crisis. — Copenhagen, Denmark—By focusing on reducing carbon emissions and becoming more sustainable, can cities enhance their citizens’ health, well-being, and comfort, while improving their
To accelerate climate action and to protect residents from the negative impacts of climate change, the City of Hiroshima, Japan has set an ambitious long-term goal to cut emissions, while identifying ways to better prepare for intensifying climate risks. The city recently released a new climate action and adaptation plan which explains exactly how they