One more important city reveals its low carbon plans

Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2040 by reversing urban sprawl and promoting walking, cycling and public transport. Senay Boztas discusses their plans in a recent article in The Guardian. Reykjavík: the geothermal city that aims to go carbon neutral Reykjavík used to be marketed as a … Continue reading One more important city reveals its low carbon plans →

With increased urbanisation, investing in sustainable energy should start in our cities

Laurie Winkless writes a good article in the Irish Independent about the importance of cities in meeting our climate challenges. It would be good to get your views. Investment in renewable energy key to securing future of our cities Google 'future cities' and you'll be met with visions of a science fiction-enhanced urban landscape. … Continue reading With increased urbanisation, investing in sustainable energy should start in our cities →

More American cities giving priority to sustainable energy

More and more we are hearing about the sustainable energy policies being pursued by cities. Feliks Garcia writes in The Independent about Boulder Colorado being the 17th city in the US to commit to being 100% on renewables by 2030. These are definitely welcome signs. By the way, how many cities in Europe have made … Continue reading More American cities giving priority to sustainable energy →

More cities join the efforts to manage emissions and build resilience

It is encouraging to see how cities are increasingly embracing the need to take measures to lower the impact from global warming. There is a good article on the CDP website about recent developments that are most encouraging. Unprecedented global rise in cities disclosing climate strategies A record number of cities are now measuring … Continue reading More cities join the efforts to manage emissions and build resilience →

Ramping up energy efficiency in leading cities

There is an increasing recognition that cities have an important role to play in our global efforts to promote energy efficiency. There is a good article on the blue&green tomorrow website about a new initiative led by the World Green Building Council and the World Resources Institute-led Building Efficiency Accelerator. Leading cities around the … Continue reading Ramping up energy efficiency in leading cities →

Cities and the energy transition

EiD often has posts on the important role cities play in promoting sustainable energy. Chelsea Harvey writes in the Washington Post that, with a little creativity, researchers are developing new ideas and technologies specifically designed for city life in the march to a low-carbon society. This is how cities of the future will get … Continue reading Cities and the energy transition →

Giving communities access to cheaper solar power

Madeleine Cuff writes on the Business Green website that a new initiative in New York City, Solarize NYC, will allow communities to join together into single purchasing groups to access cheaper solar power. There could be some important lessons for Europe as the introduction of nearly zero energy buildings with the needed energy coming from … Continue reading Giving communities access to cheaper solar power →

Improving energy efficiency will bring big benefits to cities

We are seeing more evidence every day about the importance of cities in promoting sustainable energy. David Chandler writes on the MIT website that retrofitting a small portion of buildings would have big impact on cities’ carbon emissions. And more importantly, the study shows how to identify those buildings that will have the biggest impact. … Continue reading Improving energy efficiency will bring big benefits to cities →

A new economic paradigm on sustainability is poised to emerge and both cities and utilities will have an important role to play

In an article for the Renewable Energy Focus website, Lauren Callaway, a research analyst at Navigant Research, delves into the smart city market and discusses what it means for the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors. Comment: Smart cities; the future of sustainable living It’s a no brainer at this point: Improving sustainability in … Continue reading A new economic paradigm on sustainability is poised to emerge and both cities and utilities will have an important role to play →

Reflections on a COST-JRC workshop on the role of cities-regions in achieving a low-carbon economy

Increasingly, we are better understanding the important role cities and regions can and should play to effectively address priority areas such as climate change and sustainable energy. Cities and regions are unique because so much happens in a relatively small area: we live, work and play there and globally we are becoming increasingly urbanised. This … Continue reading Reflections on a COST-JRC workshop on the role of cities-regions in achieving a low-carbon economy →