Local Climate Champions: Transforming Cities for a Sustainable Future
WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
Helping cities make big ideas happen. Project of World Resources Institute. Producer of TheCityFix.com
The next few months are key for sustainable cities. The United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week NYC will set the tone for action on climate, nature and development, with the World Urban Forum, G20 and COP29 following close behind.
It’s on the critical but often overlooked mechanics that link commitment to action where we hope to see progress. How do we mobilize finance on the scale needed, how do we build stronger NDCs (and track them better), and how do we funnel more resources to the most vulnerable countries?
Current funding falls far short. According to the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance , developing countries need $1 trillion a year in external finance to achieve climate and nature goals by 2030. Progress in some corners is remarkable – globally, solar generation increased 27% in the first half of 2024. But it’s also been incredibly uneven. Africa receives only 2% of global clean energy investment .
Cities and communities are ready for more, but struggle to access finance at scale. It is time to put cities at the center of national climate action plans.
At Climate Week NYC , the Coalition for High Ambition Multi-level Partnerships will convene ministers and subnational leaders, including “first movers,” working to strengthen NDCs with urban content at a High-Level Political Dialogue. The SCALE initiative’s Action Dialogue will feature governors, mayors and others committed to enhancing and supporting subnational climate ambition. And on September 25, we will be showcasing the extraordinary initiatives creating climate-ready communities from the 2023-2024 WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities and announcing the Grand Prize Winner at an awards celebration and learning event .
Now is the time to be bold, to get the flow of finance to cities underway and to empower our local climate champions.
- Rogier van den Berg Global Director, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
?? Around Our Network
Empowering Residents Creates Climate Resilience in Buenos Aires
Rodrigo Bueno emerged on Buenos Aires’ shore in the early 1980s as a villa of self-built homes. For almost a decade the city tried to evict residents, but in 2016 a new administration adopted a new approach, now a 2023-2024 WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities finalist, focused on collaborating and sharing decision-making with residents. Learn more →?
Transforming New York City Schoolyards into Vibrant Community Spaces
The Trust for Public Land’s Green Community Schoolyards program, a 2023-2024 WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities finalist, aims to create safe, accessible green space for vulnerable New Yorkers. In a landscape otherwise dominated by concrete, schoolyards can be critical climate-resilient spaces not only for school children but all residents. Learn more →
Detroit, Varanasi, Venice Lead Mobility Challenge
In the face of rapid urbanization, evolving mobility patterns and the climate crisis, the Sustainable Cities Challenge encourages fresh perspectives to uncover solutions to persistent mobility issues. The $9-million initiative is currently accepting entries for Detroit until September 12, for Varanasi until October 10, and for Venice until September 30.?Learn more →
What Happens When Extreme Heat and Air Pollution Collide?
On its own, air pollution can risk lives and livelihoods. But when coupled with extreme heat, the results can be even more deadly. The combination of high temperatures and stagnant air created during heat waves makes people more vulnerable to health impacts and urban infrastructure more susceptible to degradation. Learn more →
Electrifying US School Bus Fleets Equitably Reduces Air Pollution
New research from WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative investigates how focusing on equity can bring zero-emission electric school buses to the neighborhoods most harmed by pollution. Learn more →
WRI and Drexel Collaborate on Heat and Health in Brazilian Cities
A new multi-sector research and community engagement initiative will explore the role of social factors and the built environment in determining heat impacts on residents in Belo Horizonte and Campinas, Brazil. Learn more →
Lessons from China’s Growing Adoption of Zero-Emission Trucks
New research from WRI China finds that by combining several policies, battery electric trucks can reach cost of ownership parity with their diesel counterparts by 2025, while fuel-cell electric trucks could reach parity by 2028. Learn more → | Read the report →
WRI Hosts Successful Side Event at Africa Urban Forum 2024
WRI’s side event, "African Cities in the Age of Digital Transformation - Towards Evidence-Based and Inclusive Urban Futures," featured dialogue between decision-makers, experts and local leaders, highlighting the importance of leveraging digital tools and data to guide urban planning, mitigate climate impacts and promote equitable and sustainable development. Learn more →
领英推荐
??? What's Next
?? What's New From TheCityFix
Scaling Nature-Based Solutions in Johannesburg, South Africa
WRI's new initiative, SUNCASA, aims to introduce more nature into the overcrowded township of Alexandra and the Jukskei River that runs through it, helping to reduce flood risks and climate-related impacts like urban heat?while also expanding residents’ access to green spaces. Learn more →
?
Is Your Commute Harming Your Health?
Car commutes have evolved into more than mere trips – they influence our well-being. Extended commutes can not only increase exposure to noise and air pollution, but are linked to increased stress and anxiety, and a decrease in life satisfaction. Learn more →
Towards Climate Resilience: A Streetside View
Despite growing interest in urban greening, implementation remains a challenge. Many cities have invested heavily in traditional solutions that create enormous amounts of concrete coverage, making it financially and logistically daunting to integrate new solutions. Learn more →
Does Political Decentralization Improve Urban Governance?
The potential of decentralization is promising: local officials should be intimately familiar with constituents’ grievances, creating more responsive government. Yet, effective representation depends on local officials knowing how to use their powers too. Learn more →
6 Elements to Make Streets Safer by Design
What makes a street safe by design? Through thoughtful, inclusive design, sensitive to local contexts, we can transform our streets — and by extension our cities — to be accessible and safe for all. Learn more →
?? Social Post of the Month
?? Join Our Team
Budget Development & Proposal Risk Associate, Global Operations – WRI Ross Center (Washington, DC, U.S.)
Grants & Finance Specialist, Electric School Bus Initiative – WRI Ross Center (Washington, DC, U.S.)
?? Subscribe by email
↓ Get WRI Ross Center Monthly delivered to your email inbox each month ↓
Regional Director: ICLEI Africa at ICLEI
2 个月Really great and informative articles, congratulations to #Rogier and #WRi Ross Center for Sustainable Cities! There are so many areas where our organisations work in complementary ways and on similar issues with our cities, which makes me very excited about current actions deepening our collaboration, not only in Africa, but indeed globally!