Posts tagged with 'China'
More than half the world’s people live in cities, and cities are responsible for more than 70 percent of all energy-related carbon dioxide emissions on Earth. These dramatic statistics mean cities have a critical role to play in addressing climate change. This ...
Last December, Beijing’s city government issued a “red alert” for smog levels—the highest possible designation. Schools and construction sites closed, traffic was restricted, and air pollution reached 10 times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit. Meanwhile, residents in neighboring cities ...
On February 23 the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) launched the Energy Efficiency in Buildings laboratory (EEB Lab) in Shanghai. In a city where 18.4 percent of emissions come from buildings, the EEB Lab is engaging local stakeholders ...
From air pollution to intense traffic congestion, China faces an array of environmental and resource challenges, many of which are a result of its urbanization and development over the past few decades. In Beijing—as across most of the country—concerns over ...
Transcending borders, bicycles have emerged as an essential transport option for citizens—and they play a significant role in making cities more sustainable. However, concerns about bike theft have held back both public bikeshare schemes and discouraged individual cyclists. As virtually ...
For cities, holidays signal a transformation in atmosphere. Street lights change colors, decorations are hung, and festivals turn sleepy downtowns into largescale celebrations for locals. Just as families and individuals adorn their homes with ornaments and trimmings, cities use their ...
For the first time in history, Beijing’s government issued a “red alert” for smog, shutting down the city for three days. Announced on December 7, the alert took place while COP21 was in full swing at Paris, where China, the ...
The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport is considering a trial of congestion charges on vehicles from 2016 to mitigate traffic congestion in the city. The government’s priority, as proposed in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) and the Traffic Congestion Mitigation ...
As cities around the globe buckle under intense car congestion, some have begun encouraging residents to walk and bike instead of relying on personal vehicles. Walkable urban places (WalkUPs) provide residents with a variety of dining choices, commute options and ...
For the first time in a long time, the color of Beijing’s sky was a perfect azure blue. From August 20 to September 3, the city’s clear sky offered a breath of fresh air for residents, and gave many a ...
Nossa Cidade (“Our City”), from TheCityFix Brasil, explores critical questions for building more sustainable cities. Every month features a new theme. Leaning on the expertise of researchers and specialists in WRI’s sustainable urban mobility team in Brazil, the series will feature in ...
China made international news earlier this summer when it announced a new pledge to peak its emissions by 2030, in addition to other climate commitments. The country laid out 15 specific actions as part of its “intended nationally determined contribution” ...
Though our planet is home to one hundred and ninety independent nations, the UN Climate Conference in Paris this December reminds us that all countries share a single, collective future. Indeed, in order to keep the global temperature rise from ...
Red tile roofs, a backyard barbecue, a clubhouse in the style of a French chateau. Welcome to Orange County. No, not Orange County, California, the famed suburban region known for its beaches and McMansions. This is Orange County, Beijing. The ...
China’s rapid urbanization has dramatically increased the need for public transit infrastructure. To accommodate these changes, it’s estimated that China needs to expand urban rail by at least 3,000 kilometers by 2020—approximately a $4 trillion investment. In Chinese cities, funding ...
