How green bonds are shaping the future of sustainable investment
Green bonds can unlock infrastructure investment opportunities for cities and nations to finance transformative solutions.
Small but mighty: Shimokawa, Japan’s successful circular economy
Shimokawa Town in Hokkaido is the smallest member of ICLEI Japan. Rich in forest resources, it has become a model…
Cities at the crossroads: Powering urban energy futures amid global crises
As nations increasingly turn inward, losing sight of common global challenges, progress towards mitigating our present energy systems’ local and international environmental impacts is threatened.
Ten ingredients to stir up urban agrifood systems transformation
What happens when around 100 stakeholders from five continents come together to discuss urban agrifood systems transformation? In September 2024, the Urban Agrifood Systems Global Workshop—co-organized by FAO and ICLEI—turned FAO headquarters in Rome into a vibrant marketplace of ideas. Check out the outcomes.
How New Taipei City’s E-House Program is pioneering nearly zero-carbon communities through public-private collaboration
Aiming for net-zero emissions in 2050, the largest city on the island of Taiwan has successfully implemented several initiatives, like its “Energy-Saving E-House Program,” the region’s first-ever housing energy-saving initiative engaging private stakeholders from the real estate sector and local communities.
Rainwater utilization as a key to enhancing urban resilience by Sumida City, Japan
As the impacts of climate change become increasingly apparent, concerns over the rising risks of urban flooding and water scarcity…
Top five most-read ICLEI stories in 2024
To wrap up 2024, we delve into the diverse array of stories that proved to be our most popular of the year – five stories that resonated, shaping and informing perspectives on sustainable urban development.
Scaling climate finance: From COP29 to COP30 and beyond
The urgent call for increased climate finance for local and regional governments has resonated globally with stakeholders rallying to address this challenge. Initial commitments and progress on mechanisms at COP29 in Baku, while encouraging, mark just the beginning of a critical journey toward COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
From Daring Cities to Town Hall COPs, how ICLEI is taking on local-to-global climate action
Throughout 2024, Daring Cities spotlighted the Town Hall COPs initiative as an innovative mechanism linking local climate emergency action to national and global efforts. How do the Town Hall COPs fit into the current global climate arena? We brought this discussion to COP29.
Collecting data, building trust: Climate Resilience for Communities project advances in Izmir
When projects like the Climate Resilience for Communities (CRC) initiative take the time to listen to these stories, they turn local communities’ traditional practices into effective, long-term, resilient and sustainable solutions.
Daring to lead: Six cities driving climate action
Hundreds of cities’ representatives and their partners have come together at the Daring Cities 2024 to exchange solutions and discuss their strategies to tackle the climate emergency. How does this translate into practice? The event showcased many real-life cases that offer inspiration for other local and regional governments to dare to take bold, transformative steps forward
No one left behind: Three daring cities embedding equity for sustainable urban development
The Malmö Commitment pledges social equity as the core of sustainable urban development, building a network of pioneer local and regional governments working together on inclusive approaches. At the Daring Cities 2024 Virtual Forum, Santa Fe, Argentina; Pittsburgh, USA; and Turku, Finland, took center stage, showcasing how they are adopting equity-focused strategies for an inclusive transition—setting a path for other cities to follow suit.