Climate & Resilience
-
Getty Images
Boston eyes water-based thermal network to ease grid strain
The BosTEN initiative explores whether a closed-loop system using thermal energy from the city’s waterways can deliver scalable heating and cooling — and what regulatory hurdles could stop it.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • April 17, 2026 -
Getty Images
NYC launches concierge-style service, enhanced web tools to aid Local Law 97 compliance
New resources to help building operators plan retrofits, including resilience planning and expanded workforce development, will cut through red tape, city officials say.
By Joe Burns • April 16, 2026 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Getty Images
TrendlineEnergy Codes and Building Performance Standards
Cities are using these levers to meet climate goals and address everything from data centers to building decarbonization.
By Smart Cities Dive staff -
Nathan Howard via Getty Images
How much power do cities have over data centers?
A Wisconsin referendum highlights the limits of local authority and the growing need for cities to negotiate community benefits and cost protections, experts say.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • April 16, 2026 -
Permission granted by New York City Sanitation Department
Mamdani commits to containerizing New York’s residential waste by 2032
New leaders in City Hall are beginning to negotiate the sanitation budget, and they want containerization to be part of the picture. But challenges still lie ahead.
By Jacob Wallace • April 14, 2026 -
Courtesy of Recology
OpinionWhy waste diversion pilots struggle to scale
The problem is rarely technology. It’s the upstream behavior inside homes and buildings.
By Cam Anderson • April 14, 2026 -
Getty Images
Cool Cities Lab heat-mapping tool helps cities target relief where it’s needed most
From Atlanta’s cool roof ordinance to Boston’s pilot programs, cities are using block-level data to identify heat risks and deploy targeted solutions.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • April 13, 2026 -
Sponsored by National Association of State Procurement Officials
Building resilient communities: how cooperative contracting can accelerate emergency preparedness
Don't wait for a crisis to plan. Cooperative contracts can keep you prepared for emergency response.
By Micah Gibson, Communications Coordinator, NASPO • April 13, 2026 -
Retrieved from Tennessee Valley Authority/Wikimedia Commons.
EPA proposes weakening power plant coal ash protections
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin framed the proposal as “commonsense changes,” but environmental advocates say it threatens drinking water.
By Robert Walton • April 10, 2026 -
Getty Images
Affordable housing standard evolves from sustainability to resilience
Updated Enterprise Green Communities Criteria focus on extreme heat, wildfire, flooding and power outages, treating climate risk as a core housing responsibility.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Updated April 10, 2026 -
Getty Images
The EPA wants to test for microplastics in drinking water. Here’s what that means for cities.
Microplastics pose risks that science and monitoring tools aren’t equipped to fully capture, which could produce “uninformative and potentially misleading” results, an expert says.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • April 8, 2026 -
Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
Trump’s FY27 budget slashes climate and disaster funding, shifting costs to cities and states
Deep cuts to FEMA, EPA and climate programs would force local governments to absorb preparedness, infrastructure and resilience costs.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • April 6, 2026 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
How cities can encourage faster, cheaper rooftop solar
Permitting delays, inconsistent inspections and local utility rules add thousands to rooftop solar costs, pushing installers to avoid certain jurisdictions. Cities can fix that, a new report says.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • April 2, 2026 -
Getty Images
Cities, states, environmental groups sue EPA over repeal of mercury and air toxics standards
Public health and environmental groups say the rollback puts communities at risk. The EPA says it will cut transportation and energy costs.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Updated April 1, 2026 -
Alamy
3 communities find success promoting composting
Stakeholders in three states discussed how local governments can work with composters to maximize diversion in a webinar the Institute for Local Self-Reliance hosted Wednesday.
By Jacob Wallace • March 27, 2026 -
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
Extreme heat is here. Here’s how 2 cities plan to deal with it.
From data-driven targeting to cross-agency coordination, Miami-Dade County and Philadelphia are mitigating heat risk with concrete interventions.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • March 26, 2026 -
Getty Images
Trump housing order could mean new barriers to federal funding for cities
Local governments may need to ease zoning and environmental rules to stay eligible for federal support, an attorney says.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • March 25, 2026 -
Getty Images
Cities struggle to meet drinking water PFAS standards by EPA deadline
Communities are grappling with how to fund removing PFAS “forever chemicals” from their water supplies, experts said during a National League of Cities panel.
By Danielle McLean • March 24, 2026 -
Jon Cherry via Getty Images
Cities sue EPA over endangerment finding repeal
A dozen cities and counties join states in challenging EPA’s rescission of a cornerstone climate rule, which leaves cities “to bear the costs of hotter summers, dirtier air, and extreme weather,” Denver’s mayor said.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • March 20, 2026 -
Getty Images
Lawsuit claims NCAR changes pose ‘direct threat’ to US security
Restructuring the atmospheric research center would disrupt weather and climate data systems relied on by cities, the military and infrastructure planners, NCAR's parent agency argues.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • March 17, 2026 -
Michael Ciaglo via Getty Images
Amid nationwide extreme weather, scientists and Colorado leaders fight to save NCAR
Dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research will have “severe consequences” for protecting lives and the economy, the American Meteorological Society warned.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • March 16, 2026 -
Spencer Platt via Getty Images
New York needs more time to meet climate goals, Hochul says
“We just need some breathing room,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, noting high cost estimates for compliance with the 2030 goal. “My job is dealing in reality. This is the reality I have.”
By Diana DiGangi • March 13, 2026 -
Courtesy of Rhode Island Food Policy Council
EPA properly awarded $1.5B of now-terminated grants, federal watchdog says
The report is further evidence that Community Change Grants should not have been terminated, environmental groups say.
By Jacob Wallace • March 9, 2026 -
Jim Vondruska via Getty Images
Better weather forecasts, disaster reviews the goal of new federal bills
As emergency managers warn NOAA and National Weather Service cuts threaten public safety, the proposals would further investigate major weather disasters and invest in forecasting technology.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • March 6, 2026 -
Getty Images
EPA delays greenhouse gas reporting as it moves to shut down program
Covered entities for the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program will not be required to submit 2025 emissions data until October. By then, the agency may have already repealed the requirement.
By Jacob Wallace • March 5, 2026 -
Courtesy of Ecosave
Brooklyn project shows feasibility of using geothermal in dense urban areas
Although installation costs are higher than for conventional systems, geothermal is cheaper over the long term, project consultants say.
By Robert Freedman • March 4, 2026
