Mayors from European cities travelled to Kyiv on Friday 19 August to sign a political agreement to support the sustainable rebuilding of Ukrainian cities. The accord outlines plans to match rebuilding needs in Ukraine with capabilities of other European cities. The pact is backed by the city network, Eurocities, and signed by Ukraine’s Congress of … Continue reading European mayors pledge sustainable rebuilding of Ukrainian cities
Category: environment
Companies in Europe not living up to their commitments to reduce plastic packaging
Two-thirds of pledges to go greener on plastic fail or are dropped, a DW investigation has found. Here's how European food and drink companies break their own commitments, and how legislation might hold them accountable. Kira Schacht discusses the findings of the investigation in an article on the Deutsche Welle website. European food companies … Continue reading Companies in Europe not living up to their commitments to reduce plastic packaging
“Change can take time, but I believe this latest declaration of human rights will support climate and environmental justice across the world”
The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on July 28, 2022, to declare the ability to live in “a clean, healthy and sustainable environment” a universal human right. It also called on countries, companies and international organizations to scale up efforts to turn that into reality. In an article on The Conversation website, Joel E. Correia, … Continue reading “Change can take time, but I believe this latest declaration of human rights will support climate and environmental justice across the world”
Today the legend of autobahns is associated with Germany’s failure to meet its climate obligations
Germany's long love affair with its high-speed freeways could hit a dead end as calls grow to stop autobahn extensions to combat climate change. Stuart Braun discusses latest developments in an article on the Deutsche Welle website. Autobahns speed up climate crisis When German electronic band Kraftwerk released the iconic song "Autobahn" in 1975, … Continue reading Today the legend of autobahns is associated with Germany’s failure to meet its climate obligations
Claims that using concrete will reduce the “whole life” carbon emissions from buildings are often exaggerated
The cement and concrete industry is encouraging the use of cement, by claiming that using concrete will reduce the “whole life” carbon emissions from buildings. Alice Moncaster, Senior Lecturer in Engineering at The Open University, in an article on The Conversation website, challenges those claims. Three reasons concrete doesn’t live up to its environmental … Continue reading Claims that using concrete will reduce the “whole life” carbon emissions from buildings are often exaggerated
Residents need to be involved in achieving urban sustainability and climate change issues
Establishing measurable goals at the city level needs and will result in the engagement of residents. Everybody wins in the long run — quality of life improves, urban governance is more effective, and businesses develop more efficient models. Professors Sylvie Albert and Manish Pandey at the University of Winnipeg in Canada explain their views in … Continue reading Residents need to be involved in achieving urban sustainability and climate change issues
James Lovelock: “a nonconformist who had a unique vantage point that came from being, as he put it, half-scientist and half-inventor”
Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at UCL, in an article on The Conversation website, discusses the extraordinary life of James Lovelock, the maverick scientist and inventory who was best known for his Gaia hypothesis. Do you think Lovelock transformed the way we think of life on Earth? James Lovelock: the scientist-inventor who … Continue reading James Lovelock: “a nonconformist who had a unique vantage point that came from being, as he put it, half-scientist and half-inventor”
New report from UN Habitat – World Cities Report 2022: Envisaging the Future of Cities
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a temporary crisis of confidence in the future of cities. However, a broad consensus is that urbanization remains a powerful twenty-first century mega-trend; and that well-planned towns and cities remain central to the sustainable development trajectory. There is a sense of optimism that the crisis may … Continue reading New report from UN Habitat – World Cities Report 2022: Envisaging the Future of Cities
New EEA reports on which European cities have the best air quality
The cleanest cities in Europe in terms of air quality during 2020 and 2021 were Umeå in Sweden, and Faro and Funchal in Portugal according to the updated European city air quality data viewer published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) recently. In addition to the viewer, the EEA also published two reports looking at … Continue reading New EEA reports on which European cities have the best air quality
Women and girls are the most affected by the flooding in Bangladesh due to climate crisis
Thaslima Begum writes on the Guardian website about the vulnerability of women and girls in Bangladesh. In the north-east region of Bangladesh, called Sylhet, 414 of the 926 community clinics scattered throughout the region were under water due to flooding from the monsoons. ‘Every year it gets worse’: on the frontline of the climate … Continue reading Women and girls are the most affected by the flooding in Bangladesh due to climate crisis
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 