“In Japan, acting on household consumption is key as it is estimated to drive up to 60 percent of national emissions” said Dr. Satoshi Kojima San of IGES at the Daring Cities session 1.5-Degree Living through Circular Development. Japan recently committed to become carbon neutral by 2050 and is putting the circular economy at the…
The IPCC report in 2018 provided the world with a rigorous timeline for climate action: staying within the Paris Agreement´s 1.5-degree target is still possible but demands radical transformation by 2030. This transformation refers not only to the required energy transition but also demands a fundamental re-organization of the way societies produce and consume. Research…
Freight movement forms an invisible ecosystem that supports urban economies and communities. Freight transport makes up about 25 percent of traffic in cities but takes up 40 percent of road space and creates 40 percent of transport-related emissions. Freight traffic also disproportionally contributes to road accidents and pollution, imposing hardships on urban communities. Demand for…
“Urban development is recognized as an essential lever to foster sustainable development,” said Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI matter-of-factly during the second Daring Cities opening session. But how do local governments balance much needed development with the preservation of our ecosystem… two global priorities which often seem at odds with one another? One…
At midnight on 15 October, Jorn Verbeeck and Cathy Oke will start out in Oceania and Southeast Asia, then go to other parts of Asia and Eastern Europe, before venturing to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Not done yet, they’ll move on to Latin America and the Caribbean, before ending their journey in North…
“Since the 2015 Paris Agreement, it has been clear that we are desperately behind. So forget about dealing with climate change by 2050. We need to aim for 2030. That gives us just 10 years to quickly accelerate and implement the measures agreed to at that summit.” Coming from Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of…
ICLEI Japan has been focusing on local governments, who are the main actors in realizing a sustainable society, and introduces those that are leading the way in combating on climate change in the bimonthly Global Warming issue of Nippo Business (Only Japanese Available). During the UNFCCC COP25 in December 2019, ICLEI represented local governments and…
In its 30 years of urban sustainability work, ICLEI has partnered closely with many of the world’s cities to form long-standing, mutually supportive relationships. The relationship between the City of Cape Town and ICLEI Africa is a key example. The City’s Executive Director of Spatial Planning and Environment, Mr Osman Asmal, reflects. The City of…
Now, as we seem to have moved beyond the peak of the first large coronavirus/COVID-19 wave in Europe and the dramatic death toll is decreasing, people and economic stakeholders are beginning to push for a fast reduction of restrictions as a way back to a new normal. This new normal will have to account for…
Imagine being in nineteenth century Europe. Imagine walking on a city street and hearing people complain about the smell and dirty drinking water. Imagine coughing because of the dusty air. While we can only imagine that experience, German classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven saw the reality of pollution and environmental degradation by living, working and…
The longest-ever climate conference, COP25, concluded on Sunday. The talks punted a number of meaningful decisions to 2020, and some results were even cause for disappointment. But those of us working for local and regional governments are used to taking the lead on ambition. While we are frustrated at the lack of progress on the decisions coming out of the negotiations, we still found four reasons to remain hopeful after this COP25.
Yunus Arikan Global Director of Advocacy, ICLEILocal Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency Focal Point Local and regional governments are an extensive and diverse presence at this year’s COP, showing the depth of our commitment to solving the climate crisis. This strong representation demonstrates that we, as a constituency, are fully behind the implementation of…