Posts tagged with 'air quality'
4 Climate Stories That Will Define 2024
4 Climate Stories That Will Define 2024
Last year shattered global heat records. The world witnessed the effects of rising temperatures in the form of devastating wildfires, severe flooding, extreme heatwaves and more. Poor countries and communities who have contributed the least to causing the climate crisis ...
How Data and Integrated Planning Approaches Can Help Cities Fight Air Pollution 
How Data and Integrated Planning Approaches Can Help Cities Fight Air Pollution 
In Bogotá, Colombia, over 3,000 people die prematurely each year due to exposure to air pollution—namely from PM2.5, a fine particulate matter produced by vehicle exhaust, burning and industrial outputs. Bogotá is not alone: According to 2021 data, of 174 ...
Delhi’s Air Quality Needs Data-Driven Action
Delhi’s Air Quality Needs Data-Driven Action
The issue of Delhi’s poor air quality resurfaces periodically in public consciousness. It garners attention on social media, in newspapers and in scientific studies, largely during winter months. During this period, Delhi’s air quality index drops from “poor” to “severe” ...
Southeast Asian Cities Have Some of the Most Polluted Air in the World. El Niño Is Making it Worse
Southeast Asian Cities Have Some of the Most Polluted Air in the World. El Niño Is Making it Worse
Residents of Jakarta, Indonesia woke up on August 31, 2023, to a thick blanket of haze and news that their city was again ranked the most polluted in the world — one of many times during the last several months when air quality became ...
The Future of Extreme Heat in Cities: What We Know — and What We Don’t
The Future of Extreme Heat in Cities: What We Know — and What We Don’t
The past year registered record-shattering global temperatures. People around the world are already witnessing epic heat waves, wildfires and drought at 1.1 degrees C (2 degrees F) of global warming, compared to pre-industrial averages. With current policies putting the world on ...
Nairobi Highlights Air Quality During Africa Climate Week
Nairobi Highlights Air Quality During Africa Climate Week
Against the backdrop of the Africa Climate Summit and Africa Climate Week, Nairobi hosted the UN Environment Programme’s fourth annual International Clean Air Day for blue skies event with Nairobi City County Governor, Sakaja Johnson, on September 7th, 2023. This ...
Creating a 'Digital Commons' to Harness Data for Africa’s Urban Transport Systems 
Creating a ‘Digital Commons’ to Harness Data for Africa’s Urban Transport Systems 
In Africa, as elsewhere, advances in computing power, data storage, and sensor and satellite technologies have unleashed unprecedented opportunities but also challenges. The mobile phone has become a powerful tool for generating vast amounts of data. This data can, in ...
Exploring City and Institutional Transformation Through Catalytic Projects in Mexico City
Exploring City and Institutional Transformation Through Catalytic Projects in Mexico City
Achieving transformation in today’s cities requires the active and ongoing participation of many stakeholders, from the public sector, to civil society, private companies and academia. Non-government organizations can play a crucial role due to their commitment to improving the quality ...
Clearing the Air: Why Low-Carbon Transportation is Critical for Cities 
Clearing the Air: Why Low-Carbon Transportation is Critical for Cities 
You start the day frustrated, your alarm clock ringing 30 minutes earlier than usual to try to beat the thousands of other morning commuters out the door. Battling bottlenecks has become your daily drill, from the side road shortcuts to ...
How Africa’s First Chief Heat Officer is Helping to Create a More Resilient Freetown
How Africa’s First Chief Heat Officer is Helping to Create a More Resilient Freetown
“Climate change is affecting cities all around the world, and Freetown is no exception.” That’s what Eugenia Kargbo, Freetown’s Chief Heat Officer, told UrbanShift during the City Academy hosted in Kigali last year. Through her role—the first of its kind in ...
What to Watch at the First Africa Climate Summit
What to Watch at the First Africa Climate Summit
Climate change is already having a significant impact on Africa’s ecosystems, economy and society. This year alone, 1.8 million Africans were displaced during a prolonged drought, the Democratic Republic of Congo experienced catastrophic flooding, and Cyclone Freddy left a trail of destruction in Malawi and Mozambique. ...
5 Car-Free Day Myths Debunked: Unveiling the True Benefits of Open Streets
5 Car-Free Day Myths Debunked: Unveiling the True Benefits of Open Streets
As cities become more congested, traffic fatalities continue to rise and the impacts of climate change escalate, the need for sustainable and safe transportation solutions has reached a critical juncture. The World Health Organization reports an alarming statistic: 186,300 children ...
New Data Dashboard Helps Cities Build Urban Resilience in a Changing Climate
New Data Dashboard Helps Cities Build Urban Resilience in a Changing Climate
Climate change is impacting cities and their residents in many profound ways, from poor air quality to flooding to biodiversity loss and extreme heat. Now, with the help of a new tool, select cities can access localized, integrated data to ...
Enabling a 'Deep Dive' Approach to Creating Urban Transformation
Enabling a ‘Deep Dive’ Approach to Creating Urban Transformation
Today’s city leaders face a level of complexity and rapid pace of change that can be overwhelming. Particularly in developing countries, urbanization is unfolding quickly and often haphazardly. One in three urban residents worldwide lack adequate access to at least ...
Poor Air Quality Isn’t the Only Way Wildfires Affect Cities
Poor Air Quality Isn’t the Only Way Wildfires Affect Cities
Thousands of people in Quebec, Canada evacuated their homes this month due to raging wildfires. More than 400 miles away, New York City experienced its worst air quality in history, and briefly had the worst air quality of any city in the ...
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