Cities are energy-hungry, climate hotspots but when they become greener you see immediate benefits for the climate, the environment and those that live there.
Cities are both in the front line of increasingly extreme weather events such as heatwaves and floods, and major sources of the pollution that pushes climate breakdown. But green a city, and you help to make it more climate-proof and take the pressure off global warming. Once steps are taken to green cities, a host of other benefits emerge. The air becomes cleaner, reducing childhood asthma and a host of other lethal health complaints directly linked to dirty air. By involving a wide range of people in the process, cities can benefit from their knowledge and ideas to make greener cities work for everyone.
Shifting away from the dominance of polluting, private cars toward clean mass-transit systems makes our streets and neighbourhoods safer places to play, and more peaceful for all residents. Living streets bring communities together too. Urban growing can rebuild a relationship between people and real food, make a shift to better diets easier, and also bring people together.
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Commentary
Given Half a Chance: Ten Ways to Save the WorldEnvironmentalist Edward Davey’s new book, Given Half a Chance: Ten Ways to Save the World shows how little it would take to set a rapid transition in...
Commentary
What would a climate emergency plan look like?Across the world, national and local governments are declaring a climate emergency on the back of dire warnings from UN scientists about the need for urgent...
Story of change
Can Costa Rica’s path to carbon neutrality be replicated by other countries?While the UN unveils another devastating report on biodiversity loss, showing the threat from humanity to the rest of life on earth, and as countries puzzle...
Story of change
The Attenborough effect and the downfall of plasticsA pilot whale carrying her dead calf across the ocean for days. A baby albatross bringing up a plastic bag. Millions worldwide watched these events unfold...
Story of change
Taiwan’s Transition – from Garbage Island to Recycling LeaderThe world’s mountain of waste is growing, but one country once known as ‘Garbage Island’ has revolutionised its approach and rapidly reduced waste,...
Story of change
Space to breathe: From garden cities to cities in gardens – the rise of National Park CitiesOver half of the world’s population (55%) live in urban areas with that share expected to grow to over two thirds by 2050. In North America the figure...
Story of change
Transition Towns – the quiet, networked revolutionThe Transition Network began in 2006 in the small rural UK town of Totnes, Devon. It was initially a response to the twin threats of climate change and peak...
Story of change
Migrants welcome – how international hospitality in a warming world benefits everyoneMany millions more people will be forced to flee their homes in a world experiencing climate breakdown. Some will move within national borders, many others...
Story of change
Food waste is a climate emergency issue: how to chop it across the boardFood waste is alone responsible for an estimated 8% of annual greenhouse gas emissions globally, equal to the amount from tourism. Cutting it back not only...
