The new Japanese Minister of Environment, Shinjirō Koizumi, attended his first climate Conference of the Parties this year, and he brought with him both good and bad news. Local and regional governments in Japan have been stepping forward to make ambitious commitments to zero carbon, as of COP25, 28 local governments had announced their plans
At the height of the industrial revolution, Essen was a hub of innovation, technological developments and new ideas. Change is still engrained in its identity, but now the city is leveraging its former industrial glory to achieve new transition goals. The German city is pioneering a path that builds on its history to implement strategies
Turku, Finland, which is an active member of ICLEI’s Green Circular Cities Coalition, was a leading player in sessions dedicated to circularity over the past two days at COP25. And rightfully so. After committing to becoming carbon neutral by 2040 at the Paris Summit in 2015, the city has since challenged itself with an even
9 December 2019, Madrid, Spain –– As part of the broad coalition convened under the Action towards Climate-friendly Transport (ACT) initiative launched at the UN Climate Action Summit in September, the Zero-Emission Freight Vehicle (ZEFV) ACTion Group has created a common vision together with key players working to scale up the global mass market for
At the 2019 UN Climate Summit in Madrid, the City of Turku (Finland) will present their circular economy best practices during ICLEI’s Circular Development track at COP25. The City, ICLEI and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra are also releasing today the policy brief “Towards carbon-neutral circular economies at the regional level”. The City of Turku
Agriculture is one of the major indirect drivers of biodiversity loss. Increased food production, as a result of intensive agricultural practices, has an immense impact on terrestrial ecosystems and has led to a decrease in nature’s contributions to people. A new policy brief released on 4 December by the Center for Biological Diversity, ICLEI and
Local and regional governments are stepping up on climate action. Over 1000 municipalities have declared a climate emergency and local and regional leaders are taking their place on the international stage this week at the 25th Climate COP in Madrid. Local and regional governments are also tackling major emissions sources within their own jurisdictions. They
There’s an urgent need for cities to do a better job of protecting biodiversity, due to nature’s critical role both in combatting climate change and improving quality of life. That was the overarching message at yesterday’s session on Integrating Biodiversity, Climate and Land Management at COP25. “We all know that the reduction of one-third of
COP25 marks the first-ever Transport Day hosted by a COP Presidency. The discussion among transport stakeholders is urgently needed yet has been long overdue. While 83% of NDCs (Nationally-Determined Contributions) identify transport as an important source of GHG emissions and an area for action, only 14% of NDCs set a transport sector emission reduction target.
Mayor Fernanda Hassem (centre) shares with the audience the many challenges the people of Brasiléia face due to climate change, as Mayor Surita of Boa Vista (left) and Mayor Chaves of Maranhão (right) look on. “The federal government is neglecting the Amazon Rainforest. They’re not committed to the forest. And they’re leaving people who live