If there is anything to be learned from the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ protest in France, is that social innovation should accompany environmental policymaking. Policies will have little effect without the acceptance and understanding of the people directly affected by the changes. Much of the climate change discourse centers on wide-scale economic, social and cultural change –
Is it possible to reduce the use of resources in our urban food, energy and water systems, and at the same time stimulate local development and the economy? Nashik, India shows that a nexus approach – an intersectoral approach to sector specific problems – could be the answer.
Over the last decades cities, towns and regions in different continents and of different sizes have been setting ambitious renewable energy (RE) targets that help driving the transition towards a sustainable and renewable energy future while delivering multiple benefits to the local communities. Adopting RE targets helps local governments legitimize the further allocation of resources
With the Paris Agreement, world leaders have mandated net zero greenhouse gas emissions to be reached in the second half of this century. This requires an unprecedented transformation and full de-carbonization of the energy systems within the next few decades. Cities are contributing to the transition to a renewable, safe, resilient and sustainable energy future
Berlin, Germany voted to divest its €750 million public pension from oil, coal and gas companies, while Stockholm, Sweden, Sydney, Australia and San Francisco, California have joined a growing number of cities making similar commitments. Meanwhile, cities are also exploring ways to meet their energy needs entirely with renewable sources. Vancouver, Canada aims to hit
At the COP20, ICLEI will continue to represent the interests of local governments and highlight their achievements. Here we focus on one of our members: Brussels! Thanks to ICLEI Europe for this excellent profile. Brussels is home to the European Union and, with a population of over 1.8 million, is also the largest urban area