Fighting climate change in Pakistan: The case of Karachi

This blog was written by Izzah Sheikh and edited by Sajili Oberoi and Matteo Bizzotto, from ICLEI World Secretariat Karachi, one of the most populated cities in the world and the financial capital of Pakistan, is strongly committed to accelerated climate action. Like many other industrial cities, Karachi faces problems that are further exacerbated by 

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5 Brazilian cities that are leading on climate reporting

To wrap up 2020 five Brazilian municipalities that are part of the ICLEI network in South America – Betim, Canoas, Contagem, Recife and Sorocaba – released their greenhouse gas emissions inventories. GHG inventories are important climate documents that identify the cities’ GHG emissions profile and its main emissions sources. The data compiled through a GHG 

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Methods and myths of sustainable development

Sustainable isn’t attainable when it comes to urban development and growth. Or at least that’s the prevailing perception many naysayers have, said Carolina Schmidt, Chile’s Minister of Environment  during the recent TEDxDaringCities session entitled: Embedding Climate Neutrality Ambition Through Sustainable Development.  Citing figures from the World Bank, Schmidt said that investing $40 billion USD in 

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Pittsburgh’s fight for clean air, water and growth

Pittsburgh has become the poster child for how to transition from highly impacted industrial town to a healthy and vibrant community. A city that has gone from having air quality and smog so bad that they had to leave the streetlights on 24 hours a day, to an area that has created more cleantech and 

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Why cities, towns and regions are creating a roadmap towards 100% renewable energy

Tackling the climate emergency – a security, socioeconomic and environmental crisis – requires the unprecedented transformation of energy systems and an immediate transition to renewable energy across all sectors. For a perspective on why cities and regions are going renewable and what a roadmap to 100% renewables looks like at the subnational level, we talked 

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Exploring informal sustainable mobility for East African cities

Motorcycle taxis, known as boda-bodas, are a common sight in East Africa. While they serve as an accessible transport option for many urban residents, they also pose serious safety concerns and management challenges. However, new ideas and technologies have the potential to make boda-bodas a part of sustainable mobility systems in African cities. Boda-bodas operate 

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Want to step up climate action in your city? Invest in your staff

Although they pave the way for national and international financial support, sophisticated emissions inventories are often the domain of the richest and most powerful cities. In other words, strong inventories often come from those with the resources to hire staff or pay third-party consultants to prepare those inventories. This perpetuates a difficult cycle: national and 

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How Hiroshima became the first city in its region to prepare for a changing climate

To accelerate climate action and to protect residents from the negative impacts of climate change, the City of Hiroshima, Japan has set an ambitious long-term goal to cut emissions, while identifying ways to better prepare for intensifying climate risks. The city recently released a new climate action and adaptation plan which explains exactly how they 

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Rotterdam implements energy transition and climate measures

By John J. Berger, PhD, an energy and environmental policy specialist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who is currently working on a new book on resolving the climate crisis. — The City of Rotterdam has an abiding interest in cost-effective ways of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. One of its main strategies is 

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Amsterdam mobilizes for a clean, prosperous, sustainable future

By John J. Berger, PhD, an energy and environmental policy specialist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who is currently working on a new book on resolving the climate crisis. — Finding ways to reduce cities’ greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) is vital to global efforts to mitigate climate change. Cities account for around 70 

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