As the world continues to urbanize, the need to improve transportation in and around cities is becoming increasingly urgent. Though typically framed as an economic problem — stalls in traffic correlate to stalls in productivity — sustainability leaders are beginning to pay more attention to transportation as an important instrument for promoting social and economic
By Ashok Sridharan, Mayor of Bonn and President of ICLEI and Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice and member of the the ICLEI Urban Transitions Alliance Next month, we will join nations in Katowice, Poland for COP24, the 24th United Nations Climate Change Conference.
To take ambitious climate action, it’s essential that local, regional and national governments have access to good information about the sources of their emissions. Strong reporting mechanisms allow all levels of government to identify sectors where the highest-impact, lowest-cost climate interventions can be deployed. They also allow for knowledge sharing, well-informed budget plans and ultimately,
By Rob McDonald, Lead Scientist for Global Cities, The Nature Conservancy This century will be remembered as the urban century. Our generation will witness the most significant urban growth in human history. By 2050, there will be 2.4 billion more people in cities, a rate of urban growth that is the equivalent of building a
The agricultural sector occupies a significant place in India’s economy, contributing 15 percent of the country’s GDP and employing 47 percent of its labor. It is also extremely sensitive to climate change, with estimates suggesting that climate shifts have already cost India 1.5 percent of its GDP. Unfortunately, agriculture itself is also a major source
by Julian Dörr, Assistant, Smart Cities, ICLEI – Local Government for Sustainability _ The highly mobile lifestyles seen in cities today have become an increasingly complex headache for local governments worldwide to handle. Many cities struggle with greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and traffic congestion. With the highly anticipated and impending arrival of smart mobility,
by Hannah Rothschild, City-Business Collaboration Officer, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability To learn more about the Urban Transitions Alliance visit www.urbantransitions.org _ Cities in the Urban Transitions Alliance are moving away from their industrial energy-intensive heritage and setting ambitious energy efficiency targets. A broad range of projects and programs have spearheaded sustainability efforts, reduced
Cities across the world are committing to climate neutrality and taking bold action to get there. Reykjavík, Iceland is using geothermal energy to achieve its 2040 neutrality target, New York City is divesting from fossil fuels and the Australian Capital Territory intends to hit 100 percent renewable electricity by 2020. The Paris Agreement aims for
Cities consume about 75 percent of global primary energy, making it crucial that local and regional governments work alongside nations, businesses and civil society to drive the renewable energy transition . This will not only slash global greenhouse gas emissions but also improve energy security in urban areas worldwide. Local and regional governments around the
At first glance, building the world’s sustainable infrastructure looks dauntingly expensive. There are, for example, figures like the one written by the International Institute of Applied Statistical Analysis: “To meet countries’ NDCs”, writes the IIASA, “an additional US$130 billion of investment will be needed by 2030, while to achieve the 2°C target the gap is