• About
    • Which Energy Mix is this?
  • Climate News Network Archive
  • Contact
Celebrating our 1,000th edition. The climate news you need
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
No Result
View All Result
  FEATURED
BREAKING: U.S. Senate Passes Historic $369B Climate Package August 7, 2022
Researchers Point To ‘Dangerously Unexplored’ Risk of Global Climate Catastrophe August 2, 2022
Koch Network Pressures Manchin, Sinema as Advocates Praise ‘Game Changing’ Climate Deal August 2, 2022
Coastal GasLink Cost Skyrockets 70% to $11.2B August 2, 2022
Ottawa Releases Regulatory ‘Frame’ for Net-Zero Grid by 2035 August 2, 2022
Next
Prev

Cities Can Reconfigure and Adapt to Cut Emissions 90%, Prepare for Climate Impacts

April 23, 2021
Reading time: 3 minutes

Ogutier/Pixabay

Ogutier/Pixabay

 

Cities are uniquely vulnerable to climate change, but likely will be early adapters against that threat.

Two-thirds of the world’s energy is consumed by cities, which then emit three-quarters of global greenhouse gases, explains Bloomberg Green. With the early, strong reactions to urban density that accompanied the coronavirus already easing, they add, the long-term trend is clear: “Humans will continue to flock to cities,” they argue.

Their analysis lays out a four-step plan for cities to use current technology and low-carbon measures to cut emissions 90% by 2050.

The first step is to reconfigure cities into a 15-minute design where residents live close to schools, parks, stores, and jobs, in order to reduce reliance on cars. This tactical approach to urban planning involves expanding pedestrian and bike traffic and boosting public transit. Bloomberg cites Paris for its restriction of cars and success in turning parking lots into green spaces.

Some 250 European cities have introduced low-emission zones that reduce pollution, including particulates, and improve air quality, the news agency adds. Trees absorb CO2 and mitigate the urban heat island effect, while rooftop vegetation reduces the surface temperature of buildings.

The next step is to extend these areas with public transit and bike lanes, then streamline energy from renewable sources, the article states. Buildings account for half of a city’s emissions, and inefficient heating and cooling systems consume half of a building’s energy use. Those findings point to the need for stringent building codes that require all large buildings to reduce carbon emissions and, in turn, create a large market for energy retrofits.

“Increasing efficiency can also mean going beyond individual buildings,” Bloomberg writes, explaining how district heating and cooling can replace millions of space conditioning units. Examples of best practice include a district in Turkey that has used geothermal energy since 1996, producing a 35% reduction in heating costs compared to traditional natural gas and reducing CO2 emissions by 110,000 tonnes per year.

The final step is to protect urban infrastructure, using measures such as storage tanks to absorb rainfall and prevent floods. Seawalls are being built to keep rising sea levels out of Rotterdam, while flood barriers hold back high water from Venice, but these measures are very expensive, Bloomberg notes.

“Trying to stop the forces of nature is a losing battle,” the authors conclude. Last year, the world suffered US$210 billion in weather-related damages, up from $166 billion in 2019, and “those damage figures are only going to rise.”

Urban centres around the world are turning into laboratories by implementing measures to reduce air pollution and move toward zero-carbon energy, and some are “re-imagining the entire urban fabric to be greener, more efficient, and more resilient to the effects of climate change already being felt,” they add. “Because cities are uniquely vulnerable to climate change, they’re also likely to be remade the fastest by the human need to survive and eventually thrive on a warmer planet.”

And “that’s a good thing, because if we want to survive the next, much bigger crisis on the horizon, cities are our best bet,” Bloomberg concludes.



in Auto & Alternative Vehicles, Buildings, Carbon Levels & Measurement, Cities & Communities, Climate & Society, Demand & Distribution, Demand & Efficiency, Ending Emissions, International Agencies & Studies, Legal & Regulatory, Renewable Energy, Transit, Walking & Biking

The latest climate news and analysis, direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Related Posts

Bernard Spragg/flickr
Energy Politics

$12.3B in Profit over 3 Months as Big Fossils Reject Federal Emissions Cap

August 11, 2022
2
Σ64/Wikimedia Commons
Hydrogen

Global Push for Hydrogen Sidesteps Knowledge Gaps on Climate Impacts

August 11, 2022
3
Protect The Planet
Pipelines / Rail Transport

Trans Mountain Work Site Blocks Early Salmon Run on Coquihalla River, Local Observers Say

August 11, 2022
1

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Trending Stories

Joseph Brent/Flickr

Green Hydrogen Will Cost Less than Fossil-Fuelled ‘Blue’, Shell CEO Admits

August 7, 2022
690
Early stages of construction on the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor in France

Failing French Nuclear Plants Drive Up Electricity Costs as Heat Waves Cut Production

August 8, 2022
393
François GOGLINS/wikimedia commons

Corrosion Problem Shutters Half of France’s Nuclear Reactors

August 2, 2022
1.3k
Brian Jeffery Beggerly/Wikimedia Commons

China’s Latest Renewables Plan Could Bridge Global 1.5°C Gap, Expert Says

August 9, 2022
203
openthegovernment.org

BREAKING: U.S. Senate Passes Historic $369B Climate Package

August 8, 2022
372
/MaxPixels

‘Substantial Damage’, No Injuries as Freight Train Hits Wind Turbine Blade

May 25, 2022
5.7k

Recent Posts

Bernard Spragg/flickr

$12.3B in Profit over 3 Months as Big Fossils Reject Federal Emissions Cap

August 11, 2022
2
Σ64/Wikimedia Commons

Global Push for Hydrogen Sidesteps Knowledge Gaps on Climate Impacts

August 11, 2022
3
Protect The Planet

Trans Mountain Work Site Blocks Early Salmon Run on Coquihalla River, Local Observers Say

August 11, 2022
1

Focus Blame for Climate Change on Fossils and Governments, Ecoanalytics Advises

August 11, 2022
3
TheKurgan/Wikipedia

Ontario Pension Giant May Be Getting the Memo on Fossil Divestment, Members Say

August 11, 2022
1
@stan_sdcollins/Twitter

Stranded Communities Hope for Emergency Food Supplies as Newfoundland Wildfires Rage

August 11, 2022
3
Next Post
Wind turbines

Daily Conversation Among Houston Energy Traders Turns to Renewables

The Energy Mix

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright
  • Cookie Policy

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}