Transforming Transportation 2020 Day 2: Can Mobility Be a Bridge to the New...
“All the things we want to do [in transport] are good for the climate. The question is how do we get there? How can transport be the champion?” said Ani Dasgupta, global director of WRI Ross Center, on...
View Article5 Strategies that Achieve Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Simultaneously
Climate actions have often fallen into one of two strategies: mitigation efforts to lower or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere, and adaptation efforts to adjust systems and societies...
View ArticleCity Leaders Must Prioritize Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Communities
As thousands of urban leaders gather in Abu Dhabi for the World Urban Forum, the impacts of the climate crisis on cities have become more visible than ever. Severe floods tore through Jakarta last...
View ArticleAt World Urban Forum, Renewed Urgency to Safeguard Vulnerable Communities
“Acknowledgement, voice and the right to negotiate” – that’s what’s needed to bring the world’s urban poor back into the system and begin creating cities that work for everyone, said Sheela Patel,...
View Article3 Steps to Scaling Up Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation
In Indonesia, climate change is already a pernicious threat. More than 30 million people across northern Java suffer from coastal flooding and erosion related to more severe storms and sea level rise....
View ArticleCollaboration on Nature-Based Solutions Is Key to Resilient City Infrastructure
Capital City, a (hypothetical) seaside metropolis, has a growing population. However, much of its infrastructure was built 100 years ago and is straining from deferred maintenance, unable to meet the...
View Article6 Keys to Turn Coastal Resilience Plans into Action
Cyclone Amphan slammed into countries surrounding the Sea of Bengal this May. The storm was the second most powerful the region has seen in two decades, affecting over 12 million people in four...
View Article5 Keys to a Climate-Resilient Recovery After COVID-19
The climate change crisis continues to create unprecedented risk for humanity. Extreme weather threatens food security, increases poverty and inequality and contributes to the spread of disease. Now,...
View Article3 Shifts to Advance Adaptation and Resilience in 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic did not break the world, but rather revealed a world already broken. COVID-19 and the climate crisis exposed the fragility of economies and societies, upending the lives of people...
View ArticleLessons from Durban’s Approach to Water Resilience
A decade ago, the South African city of Durban was facing severe water shortages. Dam reservoirs were decreasing at alarming rates, and were 20% lower than average levels. At least one in four...
View Article‘Code Red for Humanity’: Sinking Indian Cities
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warns, “India will see increased heat waves and heavy rainfall events, while glaciers will melt further, along with more compound...
View ArticleHow to Scale Up Nature-based Solutions for Adaptation
The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report highlights the enormous potential of nature to reduce the risks of climate change and build resilience. Political momentum is building for this...
View ArticleHow Forests Near and Far Benefit People in Cities
A New Yorker may not think about the forested Catskills Mountain Range upstate as she pours a glass of water. Londoners probably don’t consider the Amazon rainforest as they watch the rain falling on...
View ArticleTrees for Cities: Implementing Nature-Based Solutions in India
Whether one seeks an escape from Delhi’s scorching summer heat or a winter afternoon basking in the sun, Sanjay Van National Park, one of the city’s few surviving urban forests, comes to mind....
View ArticleRestoring Kigali’s Wetlands to Accelerate Climate Resilience
Over the past two decades, Rwanda – the land of a thousand hills – has made remarkable strides: poverty has significantly declined and quality of life has improved. The service, industrial and...
View ArticleHow Cities are Leading in the Fight Against Plastic Pollution
“Plastic kills, and the damages of plastic pollution have no borders. We cannot beat plastic pollution if we don’t tackle climate change, environmental loss and food crises at the same time.” That was...
View ArticleNew 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...
View ArticleWhat 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...
View ArticleHow Africa’s First Chief Heat Officer is Helping to Create a More Resilient...
“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...
View ArticlePink City to Green City: Building Jaipur’s Climate Resilience Through...
India experienced almost one extreme weather event per day in the first nine months of 2022. And the state of Rajasthan is no stranger to this phenomenon, with its capital city, Jaipur, ranking 22nd on...
View ArticleWhat Exactly Are ‘Nature-based Solutions’?
In the Seychelles archipelago in East Africa, flooding and erosion caused by rising sea levels pose an imminent threat to the country’s many low-lying islands. At the same time its mangrove forests,...
View ArticlePicturing Sustainable and Just Urban Futures: Winners of the Transformative...
With over half of the world’s population living in cities, urban spaces not only house us but offer opportunities for collective work and learning while serving as sources of creativity, inspiration...
View ArticleHow Improved Housing in Under-Served Communities Can Strengthen Climate...
In the crowded slums of Zambia, Africa, members of the Zambia Youth Federation, a social movement of the urban poor, conducted climate change research and presented it in an emotional spoken word poem....
View Article5 Opportunities for Micro-Greening in Low-Income Urban Settlements
Climate-change-induced events such as heat waves and floods severely impact quality of life in urban areas. It can be financially disruptive and even fatal, disproportionately impacting settlements...
View ArticleNext-Generation Climate Targets: A 5-Point Plan for NDCs
By early 2025, countries are due to unveil new national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). These commitments form the foundation of...
View ArticleTragic Flooding in Brazil; a Wake-Up Call for the World
After a week of record-breaking rainfall in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil is experiencing an environmental and humanitarian tragedy. The death toll from the floods is in the dozens. The number of missing...
View ArticleThe Importance of Differential Vulnerability in Resilience Planning
India is the seventh most climate-vulnerable country in the world, with nine of its states among the top 50 most vulnerable regions globally. The country’s cities are at the forefront of the climate...
View ArticleRebuilding Kenya Stronger: Here’s What’s Needed to Rebound After Catastrophic...
In Kenya and throughout east Africa, flooding this past April and May wreaked havoc, leaving a path of deadly destruction. The unprecedented deluge of heavy rainfall resulted in a catastrophe that many...
View ArticleTowards Climate Resilience: A Streetside View
In December 2023, the floods in Chennai and neighboring districts of Tamil Nadu wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people. However, Tamil Nadu is not the only state to be...
View ArticleGreening the Jukskei River: Scaling Nature-Based Solutions for Climate...
Alexandra Township is a 20-square-block enclave in the heart of Johannesburg, South Africa’s northern suburbs. Established in 1902, the township was built to house 750,000 residents. Today, it is home...
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