🔝
🔝
Information
Climate Protection Center @ US Conference of Mayors
Climate-Smart Cities @ Trust for Public Land
CURB Tool: Climate Action for Urban Sustainability @ World Bank
Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change
Institutions
Climate Resilient Cities @ IISD
Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC)
Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN)
Networks
Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA)
Climate Mayors: Mayors National Climate Action Agenda [US]
Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy
SAFE (Stand Against Fossil Fuel Expansion) Cities
· “...a movement of neighbors, local groups, and elected officials working to keep their communities
SAFE from fossil fuels. The fossil fuel industry’s harmful practices and reckless plans for expansion
threaten the well-being of communities and people around the world.”
Urban Climate Change Research Network
World Mayors Council on Climate Change
Select readings (reverse chronological order)
7 innovative projects making cities more sustainable
· 2020 ~ Andy Dunn ~ World Economic Forum
· In the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, sustainable cities are an important part of creating
a safe and sustainable future, particularly given the rise in urbanization.
· Provides a list of seven innovative projects that cities around the world have implemented to make
their urban environments more earth friendly.
· One examples is “sponge cities,” introducing greenscapes into urban spaces and vertical forests
and planting greenery on the façade of tall buildings.
Cities at risk: dealing with the pressures of climate change
· 2021 ~ CDP ~ CDP
· In light of the climate crisis and the rapid urbanization of society, advocates for focusing attention
on the threats that the climate crisis poses to the cities of the world and those who dwell within urban areas.
· Emphasis is on understanding in-depth understanding of the threats that climate change presents to cities
· Covers long- and short-term risks of climate change, the threats posed to citizens, and public service and
health concerns, amongst other issues.
How COVID-19 can steer city leadership on sustainability
· 2020 ~ Aloke Barnwal ~ Global Environmental Facility
· The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the power that collective action and leadership can achieve,
particularly in times of crisis. The coronavirus crisis has unearthed some important lessons for city
leaders particularly as it relates to the climate crisis.
· Specifically, the pandemic has highlighted three essential components of crisis-response as it relates
to climate change: 1) Adoption of integrated approaches for crisis response, 2) innovative use of data
and 3) an emphasis on partnerships as a means of addressing and instituting necessary changes and adaptations.
“With people crowding into urban areas, how can cities protect themselves against climate change?”
· 2019 ~ Raisa Mattila ~ University of Helsinki
· Climate change presents a significant threat to urban locations and populations around the world,
particularly those that are less developed and, as a result, more vulnerable.
· Given the global importance of cities, there is great potential in urban landscapes to adopt
sustainable practices that will impact society at large.
· Highlights the importance of individual action as a response to climate change, suggesting that by
adopting sustainable practices in one's life, those efforts will not only positively impact the environment
but will translate to political action as well.
Cities: A 'cause of and solution to' climate change
· 2019 ~ UN Climate and Environment ~ UN News
· The cities of the world account for roughly 70% of the global energy related GHG emissions
· Given that by 2030, it is estimated that over two-thirds of the population will live in cities, they are an essential part of tackling climate change.
· Cities are also the areas that are most at risk in the climate crisis given their proximity to water
· If the cities of the world do not adapt, city-dwellers are likely to suffer significantly from climate change.
· Ultimately, it is the people living in the poorest and least developed cities that will be most
severely affected by climate change given the fragile nature of housing in these areas, the
lack of government support, and a general shortage of basic resources.
· To salvage the cities of the world and protect those who live in them, we must adapt to climate
change or matters will become worse in a relatively short period of time.
Urban climate and adaptation strategies
· 2015 ~ Larissa Larsen ~ University of Michigan
· Extreme heat events are expected to increase in the future in tandem with increased urban heat island effects.
· Explores causes of urban heat extremes, urban infrastructure, common adaptation strategies, and examples of progressive planning.
· “Combining the ecosystem services of microclimate regulation, stormwater management, urban
air quality, and carbon sequestration into one green-infrastructure 'utility' has practical advantages
for municipal funding and implementation.”
Cities and climate change : urban sustainability and global environmental governance.
· 2003 ~ Harriet Bulkeley and Michele Betsill ~ Routledge
· Urban spaces are significant producers of GHG emissions and moving forward, cities will play a
large role in the implementation of international agreements and national policies on climate change.
· The book focuses primarily on the challenges for local governments in light of climate change.
For instance, the conflicts between local economic development goals and climate change mitigation
efforts as well as key challenges concerning the resources and powers of local government.
· The book takes an interdisciplinary approach to issues surrounding local governmental action and the
findings within are significant for the future of sustainable urban development.
Contents of this page:
· Information
· Institutions
· Networks
· Select readings on urban climate change
Also see:
· Nations, A>Z for city-specific information
Urban climate change
Jesse Zucker of Brandeis University developed this page in 2018.
