Posts in the 'Energy + Climate Change' category
Londrina, Brazil. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brasil.
Transport plays a key role in urban air quality
The city is like an organism, and the swift movement of people and goods is the oxygen that sustains its well-being. When this circulation is inhibited, it significantly compromises the quality of urban life. For example, private cars account for ...
Mexico City's Metrobús BRT system. Photo by Taís Policanti/EMBARQ Mexico.
Who needs cars? Smart mobility can make cities sustainable
This article was originally published on January 15, 2015 by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.  Last year marked an important tipping point: for the first time, half of the global population lives in cities. Cities currently add 1.4 million people each ...
At the final session of Transforming Transportation 2015, speakers discussed why 2015 presents unprecedented opportunities to embed sustainable transport in the global development agenda. Photo by Benoit Colin/EMBARQ.
Live from Transforming Transportation: The actions we need for the sustainable urban future we want
Transforming Transportation (#TTDC15) is the annual conference co-organized by EMBARQ, the sustainable urban transport arm of the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, and the World Bank. This year’s conference focuses on Smart Cities for Shared Prosperity, and takes place on ...
At the second panel of Transforming Transportation, panelists discussed the encouraging trends in sustainable transport and development that make mobility an important part of curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ.
Live from Transforming Transportation: Advancing climate action through sustainable mobility
Transforming Transportation (#TTDC15) is the annual conference co-organized by EMBARQ, the sustainable urban transport arm of the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, and the World Bank. This year’s conference focuses on Smart Cities for Shared Prosperity, and takes place on ...
Though cities contribute a majority of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, they also provide forums for collaboration among diverse stakeholders to incubate climate change solutions. Photo by Wolfgang Staut/Flickr.
Why cities are the solution to climate change: A Q&A with Ani Dasgupta
2015 is a year of utmost importance for the global sustainable development agenda, and cities will play a pivotal role. Landmark global decisions over the next 12 months provide opportunities to unlock the potential of cities and improve quality of ...
A type of fine particulate matter, black carbon causes millions of premature deaths in cities worldwide and is considered the second most important human emission contributing to climate change. Photo by Eduardo M.C./Flickr.
Cities fighting black carbon to achieve public health and climate benefits
Black carbon – a short-lived climate pollutant emitted into the air by incomplete combustion of fuels – is a both major contributor to climate change and a concern for public health in cities. At the global scale, black carbon has ...
As cities urbanize worldwide, they must focus on connected, compact, and coordinated development to grow their economies and tackle climate change. Photo by Scutter/Flickr.
‘We have to get urbanization right’: A Q&A with Felipe Calderón on cities in the New Climate Economy
2015 is a year of utmost importance for the global sustainable development agenda, and cities will play a pivotal role. Landmark global decisions over the next 12 months provide opportunities to unlock the potential of cities and improve quality of ...
The shared mobility economy is on the rise. Zipcar founder Robin Chase sat down with TheCityFix to discuss how current trends and innovations are transforming transportation. Photo by Hugger Industries/Flickr.
Innovating for smart, sustainable cities: A Q&A on urban mobility with Zipcar founder Robin Chase
2015 is a year of utmost importance for the global sustainable development agenda, and cities will play a pivotal role. Landmark global decisions over the next 12 months provide opportunities to unlock the potential of cities and improve quality of ...
Peru recently received an $11 million grant from the NAMA facility that will help the country attract significant funding for its multi-billion dollar sustainable urban transport improvement plans. Photo by Anton Muhajir/Flickr.
Peru’s climate leaders awarded over $11 million for low-carbon urban transport
Peru was recently awarded €9 million ($11.14 million) for its urban transport Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) by the German and British NAMA facility. This climate finance award will allow the Peruvian government to leverage $50 million from development aid agencies – especially KfW, ...
Leaders at COP20 can explore a range of sources for financing low-carbon urban development including multilateral investment banks, private investors, and innovative initatives like the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions or climate-themed bonds. Photo by Boris G/Flickr.
Three promising pathways to finance sustainable cities
Sustainable, accessible, thriving cities are within our reach. Investing in solutions like energy and building efficiency, integrated public transit and better land use and transit planning can improve health, quality of life and economic opportunities in cities. In fact, the ...
Rio de Janeiro is using the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories (GPC) – the first internationally accepted standard for measuring city-level emissions – to inform actions on climate change. Photo by Gerben van Heijningen/Flickr.
Hundreds of cities poised to replicate Rio’s approach to measuring and reducing emissions
Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s leading cities injecting sustainability into its planning. In 2011, Mayor Eduardo Paes enacted an ambitious climate change law, setting a goal to avoid 20% of its emissions by 2020, based on 2005 levels. There ...
A growing coalition of cities, NGOs, and private companies are advancing building efficiency efforts that save money and greenhouse gas emissions. Photo by Omar Barcena/Flickr.
Unlocking low-carbon growth through energy efficient cities
Urbanization is reshaping the economy, energy systems, and climate of our planet. By 2050, the world’s cities are expected to add 2.5 billion people who will need housing, hospitals, schools, and places to work. Though global greenhouse gas emissions continue ...
As the impacts of climate change intensify, cities can learn from best practices to become more resilient to climate impacts. Photo by Fede Cabrera/Flickr.
Three climate adaptation lessons from Brazil’s cities
Brazil’s cities, home to 85% of the country’s population, are already feeling the effects of climate change. Intense rains and floods in Rio de Janeiro are causing fatal landslides with high social and infrastructure costs. Temperatures are climbing to record-breaking highs in Porto ...
As national leaders prepare plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions at COP20, they can look to sustainable transport for win-win solutions that curb emissions while generating jobs, boosting economic growth, and improving public health. Photo by Associacao Ciclocidade/Flickr.
Low-carbon urban transport boosts social and economic development
This week in Lima, Peru, national-level decision makers, mayors, business leaders, international finance institutions, and civil society actors come together for the COP20 climate negotiations, and the world is expecting progress towards an international climate agreement expected to be reached ...
New studies show that economic growth and climate action can go hand in hand through sustainable urban development strategies. Photo by Alex Prolmos/Flickr.
Cities can lead the way as drivers of better growth and a better climate
Cities can drive better economic growth while also reducing climate risk. They are at the forefront of the fight to protect the climate and eradicate poverty, and are often trailblazers in a world in which nation states typically move more ...
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