Climate Change posts, articles, and infographics

How Green are Africa’s cities?

February 1, 2012 by Rashiq Fataar
with 44 views

INFOGRAPHIC: How Green are Africa’s cities? Cities from the south and the north of Africa deliver the best environmental performance of all major African cities. This is the conclusion of the African Green City Index, a unique study commissioned by Siemens and conducted by the independent research organization Economist Intelligence... [read more]

Is the Earth Squandering Its Future?

January 20, 2012 by Audrey Henderson
with 71 views

The Lorax, Dr. Seuss' fictional account of unchecked urban development gone bad, is as relevant today as it was when it originally appeared in print and on television during the 1970s. This post illustrates several of the tragically unlearned lessons of that whimsically-told, yet nonetheless urgently serious cautionary tale. [read more]

Exploring the New EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Database

January 19, 2012 by Planet Forward
with 99 views

Yesterday I told you about an informative new U.S. EPA greenhouse gas emissions database detailing the nation’s larger sources of greenhouse gas emissions. In total, the database contains information on facilities that account for about 80 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. It excludes the agricultural sector and transportation. [read more]

Climate Action Planning Is Good Community Planning

January 17, 2012 by The Dirt ASLA
with 45 views

Why should a local community create and implement a comprehensive policy to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change? According to Michael Boswell, Adrienne Greve, and Tammy Seale, authors of Local Climate Action Planning, “climate action plans have the power not only to reduce vulnerability to the hazards... [read more]

Green Building to be a Priority at Rio+20

January 17, 2012 by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
with 86 views

Maggie ComstockAssociate, PolicyU.S. Green Building Council Climate policy wonks are used to reading leaked draft text in advance of international negotiations. However, the 19 page draft text for the upcoming United Nations Convention on Sustainable Development Rio+20 Conference is unique for being leaked so far in advance of the June... [read more]

Cities Win Big in Leaked Agenda for UN Rio+20

January 11, 2012 by Warren Karlenzig
with 413 views

A leaked agenda for the United Nations Rio+20 conference places urban sustainability in a major role for UN member nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) put forth for ratification this June. The document acknowledges that cities are on par with nations in terms of implementing and measuring sustainability progress over the next 18... [read more]

Talking Urbanism Amid a Shortfall of Snow

January 9, 2012 by Chuck Wolfe
with 94 views

While the Colorado Rockies saw long-awaited snow this weekend, depths remain historically low. Signs caution of “early season” conditions (more typical of November), yet the economic impact is still unclear—resort revenues benefitted from robust holiday traffic through New Year’s Day. [read more]

Addressing Climate Change Via Cities – 17 Sustainable Ideas and COP17

December 12, 2011 by This Big City
with 153 views

COP17 drew to a close on Friday, with some kind of international climate change deal agreed on. In this post, Joe Peach – editor of This Big City – and Rashiq Fataar – editor of Future Cape Town – look back over their collaborative series, discussing the best ideas explored and whether the agreement reached at COP17 is enough. Joe Peach... [read more]

South African Leaders Speak on Sustainability at COP17

December 6, 2011 by This Big City
with 58 views

In a country which still generates 90% of its electricity from burning coal, acting on sustainability is clearly yet to become a major priority in South Africa. But the country’s leaders are watching COP17 closely. President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, got straight into the subject during his opening address: For most people in the developing world and Africa, climate change is a matter of life and death. Durban must take us many steps forward towards a solution that saves tomorrow today. [read more]

And the Greenest Cities in Africa are…

December 5, 2011 by This Big City
with 128 views

The results of the African Green City Index, a research project by the Economist Intelligence Unit, were unveiled yesterday at the Local Government Pavilion of the Climate Change Response Expo in Durban. The African Green City Index is part of a research series which has, to date, evaluated the environmental sustainability of more than 120 cities in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Germany, the US and Canada and now Africa. [read more]

Rebuilding Galveston, Texas As An Affordable, Sustainable Community

December 1, 2011 by Kaid Benfield
with 119 views

Three years ago, Hurricane Ike wiped out much of Galveston, Texas, including over 500 affordable homes administered by the city’s Housing Authority. Faced with the task of starting over, the Authority began to rethink how it might improve upon its old public housing model. With the help of McCormack Baron Salazar, a... [read more]

Sustainable Low-income Housing a First for South Africa

December 1, 2011 by This Big City
with 118 views

The need for promoting suppressed energy demand and sustainable development in the carbon market are just some of the topics under discussion at COP17. In this post, Dinika Govender of Future Cape Town looks at a social housing project that puts this into action, delivering a viable model for low-income housing throughout... [read more]