Climate & Resilience: Page 20


  • A person on a ladder reaches over to repair an air conditioning unit on a house
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Cooling cities while reducing emissions: 3 takeaways from UN report

    Increasing air conditioning and refrigeration needs threaten to drive up greenhouse gas emissions, pushing experts to recommend more passive solutions in a Dec. 5 report.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Dec. 6, 2023
  • Silhouette of hills and light emanating from faraway buildings under starry night sky
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    Getty Images
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    3 communities turning to the dark side with dark-sky retrofits

    Reducing light pollution has tourism, sustainability, safety and health benefits, proponents say.

    By Kalena Thomhave • Dec. 4, 2023
  • Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • A rendering of the CODA Detroit building.
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    Courtesy of OOMBRA Architects
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    Detroit joins growing cohort in adopting energy, water benchmarking policy

    The ordinance, which requires large buildings to annually report their energy and water use starting in 2024, is a key component of the city’s climate strategy.

    By Nish Amarnath • Dec. 4, 2023
  • A person walks in front of a wall reading "United Nations Climate Change" and "COP28UAE."
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    Sean Gallup/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    ‘COP28 must be the COP of cities’: Local leaders want fossil fuel phaseout, collaboration

    Financing for local climate action is top of mind for some city leaders at the summit. C40 Cities’ cochairs demanded in a letter that nations redirect fossil fuel subsidies toward the clean energy transition. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Dec. 1, 2023
  • An artistic rendering of a building which is transitioning from fossil fuel use to renewable sources like solar panels
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    Opinion

    The US could still get to net-zero

    The country could reduce nearly 90% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 without any Hail Mary innovations.

    By Michael Jung and Adam Agalloco • Dec. 1, 2023
  • President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a climate event.
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    White House unveils national greenhouse gas monitoring strategy ahead of COP28

    The plan looks to combine scattered emissions measurement, monitoring and data capabilities across federal and nonfederal entities into a streamlined resource to better support climate action.

    By Zoya Mirza • Nov. 30, 2023
  • A sustainable green coworking office space
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    Getty Images
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    Demand for sustainable buildings outstripping supply, JLL says

    Rising demand has led to an over 7% rental premium on green-certified office buildings across major U.S. and Canadian markets, with significant variations from city to city.

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 30, 2023
  • A view of tall buildings with a solar panel outside.
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    As building performance standards gain steam, noncompliant owners face business risks

    Some cities respond to policy violations with financial penalties, but green lease clauses and submetering provide other levers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says real estate firm CBRE.

    By Joe Burns • Updated Dec. 11, 2023
  • The Department of Energy (DOE) sign is seen at its headquarters, the James Forrestal Building, nicknamed the Little Pentagon, in Washington, DC.
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    Getty Images
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    DOE releases $31M+ in grants for retrofits, infrastructure upgrades

    Some cities will use the funds for resilience hubs, while others plan to conduct energy audits and upgrade facilities. Local governments can continue applying for the grants through April 2024.

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 28, 2023
  • Cars and a yellow bus splash water as they drive through flooded street.
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    Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    4 US cities pledge to combat water woes driven by climate change

    They committed to specific actions to address flood and drought risk, joining 12 other global cities in signing onto C40 Cities' new "accelerator" program.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Nov. 28, 2023
  • A view of windows that show renovation work in an office of a commercial building
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    Getty Images
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    Without significant interventions, US building emissions will continue to increase

    Federal, regional and local government bodies must collaborate to create “consistent and stringent building standards,” a new report says.

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 27, 2023
  • Two people wearing sunglasses talk to each other in front of a blurred background
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    Drew Angerer/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    EPA announces $2B for local environmental justice projects

    Federal climate funding has been criticized as difficult for less-resourced communities to access. The new grant program includes key elements to counter such challenges.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Nov. 22, 2023
  • A blue and silver train emerges from a stone tunnel.
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    Courtesy of Gateway Program
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    $176B plan unveiled to rebuild Northeast rail corridor

    Amtrak, states, regional commuter railroads and the U.S. Department of Transportation laid out an ambitious 15-year plan to ready the Northeast Corridor for future growth.

    By Nov. 22, 2023
  • A rendering of a remodeled office / modern apartment
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    Getty Images
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    Office-to-residential conversion costs can be 30% lower than new construction: Gensler

    However, only 25% of the office buildings the firm assessed for adaptive reuse were deemed suitable for conversion, according to the analysis. 

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 21, 2023
  • Aerial shot of homes in a city
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    Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
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    Plans to get an entire block off the natural gas system take shape in one California city

    Albany, California, wants to lay the groundwork for widescale adoption of this emerging building decarbonization approach.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Nov. 20, 2023
  • President Joe Biden, dressed in a dark suit with white hair, stands behind a podium in front of a brick tunnel and train.
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    Getty Images
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    2 years in, infrastructure law has funded 40,000 projects

    The largest portion of 2021 infrastructure law money is flowing to road and bridge construction, according to White House data analyzed by CNBC.

    By Julie Strupp • Nov. 17, 2023
  • A recycling bin on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
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    Megan Quinn/Smart Cities Dive
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    What is recycling, anyway?

    The definition of recycling is different depending on who you ask. Trade groups, government agencies and industry pros weigh in on what it really means in 2023.

    By Megan Quinn • Nov. 17, 2023
  • U.S. President Joe Biden gestures with his hands while speaking from behind a podium.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Biden touts recycling’s ‘critical role’ in fighting climate change, awards $93M in EPA grants

    In an America Recycles Day proclamation, President Biden called on businesses and the public to make recycling a priority. He acknowledged the disproportionate impacts of pollution on low-income communities.

    By Megan Quinn • Nov. 16, 2023
  • People gather around new electric buses in Miami.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Electric buses: Boom times and bumpy roads

    Manufacturers are struggling to meet the demand spurred by federal funding and programs that encourage transit agencies to shift to zero-emission buses.

    By Nov. 16, 2023
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    Scott Eisen/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Boston ends efforts to ban fossil fuels in new buildings through state program

    Massachusetts’ largest city pursued inclusion in the state climate pilot program, but the mayor reported she got “clear indications” that Boston would not be selected for the last of 10 spots.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Nov. 15, 2023
  • Exterior of a brick and glass building with sign reading "Kenneth Gardner Service Center, Austin Resource Recovery Center."
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    [Photograph]. Retrieved from Austin Resource Recovery.
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    Austin, Texas, releases zero waste plan as population booms

    The city’s goal of achieving a 90% diversion rate by 2040 remains ambitious, but Austin Resource Recovery is planning new infrastructure and expanded collections to help bridge the gap.

    By Jacob Wallace • Nov. 14, 2023
  • A group of people and cars stand at the edge of a flooded road.
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    Scott Eisen/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Biden announces $6B for climate resilience as report warns of ‘insufficient’ adaptation

    Most U.S. climate adaptation actions are “incremental” rather than “transformative,” the nation’s preeminent report on climate change says.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Nov. 14, 2023
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    Permission granted by Rubicon
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    Sponsored by Rubicon

    Understanding Kansas City’s innovative approach to winter readiness

    As winter approaches, cities across the United States are gearing up for snow and ice challenges.

    By Rubicon • Nov. 13, 2023
  • People walks through flooded street with boats
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    Scott Olson/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Meet Houston’s first emergency preparedness manager for vulnerable communities

    Houstonians with disabilities have previously been unable to access emergency shelters and evacuation plans due to limited emergency preparedness outreach, a city official said.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Nov. 10, 2023
  • Aerial shot of urban coastline
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    Getty Images
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    Lack of funding still stands in the way of California’s local climate policy

    This finding in a report released Thursday is “very surprising” considering recent historic federal and state investments, said a co-author at the University of California Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Nov. 9, 2023