Blog Posts: cities

Forests everywhere alter the movement, quality and availability of water. The world’s urban leaders need to account for the role of forests in securing clean water for residents and the agricultural lands that cities rely on.

75 years ago, the United Nations was founded on the belief that countries must work together to address global issues. As the world faces climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, some national governments are living up to this belief more than others — but crucial actors may be able to turn the tide.

For years, city governments in the United States have taken the lead on committing to climate action. More recently, many cities have also stepped up to addressing the related issue of structural racism. Will these ambitious goals translate into ambitious action?

The coronavirus pandemic has compounded highly unequal development in Latin America's cities. Investing in infrastructure and public services for marginalized areas can help the region build back better.

Supporting sustainable forestry, reducing deforestation and reimagining an iconic New York City landmark are central to our Brooklyn Bridge Forest proposal.

Worldwide, cities are struggling to plan and finance climate-appropriate infrastructure. Inter-department collaboration and nature-based solutions could be the key to addressing both issues simultaneously.

The Local Government Renewables Action Tracker reveals the impact that U.S. cities and counties can have on national clean energy trends, climate change and GHG emissions.

Big data on mobility, emissions and more can help us not only understand the coronavirus crisis and get back to normal, but create a new, better normal.

The COVID-19 pandemic lays bare two facets of our new reality: we are more interconnected than ever, and cities are at the front lines of this crisis and will be at the front lines of any similarly globalized crisis in the future. Cities are already in adaptation mode.

International consensus on cross-border environmental issues has been hard to come by, but a 40-year-old air pollution treaty has enjoyed great if largely unsung success, leading to cleaner air, healthier forests and the prevention of hundreds of thousands of premature deaths.