News
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May 10, 2021
The Transformative Urban Coalitions project seeks to change structures and values by shifting mindsets and building new coalitions for socially inclusive, zero-carbon cities. Photo by Daniel Lozano Valdés/Unsplash
Cities account for 75% of global carbon emissions. Meeting global emission goals will require city leadership. At the same time, cities are deeply affected by the current climate crisis. Extreme heat events, water stress, deterioration of natural assets and air pollution are lowering the quality of life in cities and putting severe stress on infrastructure.
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March 19, 2021
Clean Air Catalyst is a growing cooperative to help cities around the world reduce air pollution.
Everybody deserves the right to breathe clean air. Yet air pollution is choking cities and communities around the world: a staggering 9 in 10 people breathe unhealthy air.
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New report from the Coalition for Urban Transitions spotlights six emerging economies to demonstrate how cities can be engines of COVID-19 recovery, shared prosperity, and climate actionMarch 17, 2021
The Coalition's new report aims to inspire action by other national governments ahead of critical COP26 summit in Glasgow.
LONDON (March 17, 2021) — A new report from the Coalition for Urban Transitions finds that in order to accelerate COVID-19 recovery, achieve shared prosperity, and drive climate action, national governments must invest in cities to significantly accelerate decarbonisation and enhance resilience.
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March 15, 2021
The Clean Air Catalyst will work to accelerate clean air solutions in low- and middle-income countries. Photo by Saurav Purkayastha/Dreamstime
Nine out of 10 people are exposed to polluted air, according to the World Health Organization. Cities in the developing world are at the frontlines of this health and climate crisis.
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Reimagining Safe and Resilient Mobility for RecoveryJanuary 26, 2021
For years, Transforming Transportation has convened experts from around the world to discuss the most pressing mobility issues. In 2021, our all-virtual platform will make us more connected than ever.
WASHINGTON, DC (February 3 - 2021) – The World Bank and WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities invite the press to attend this year's all-virtual Transforming Transportation, one of the largest global events dedicated entirely to sustainable transport and development.
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The need to accelerate adaptation in cities and invest in solutions with multiple benefits is higher than ever.January 25, 2021
The goal of 1000 Cities Adapt Now is to accelerate adaptation in 1000 cities by 2030.
ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (January 25, 2021) — At the Climate Adaptation Summit 2021, the mayors of Miami, Paris, and Rotterdam joined WRI, the Global Center on Adaptation, and more than three dozen other cities, NGOs and governments to confirm the urgency to act now on climate adaptation, commit to support further development and implementation of the new 1000 Cities Act Now initiative, and call on leaders to support and facilitate this global program.
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January 21, 2021
1000 Cities Adapt Now aims to speed up climate change adaptation.
During the Climate Adaptation Summit 2021, the Mayor of Rotterdam Ahmed Aboutaleb will present the 10-year global program, 1000 Cities Adapt Now, to accelerate and scale adaptation measures in cities.
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Projects from Argentina, India, Kenya, Mexico and the United Kingdom chosen for demonstrated impact on climate risk, resilience and socioeconomic inequalityDecember 15, 2020
The WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities is the premier global award celebrating and spotlighting transformative urban change. This year's theme of climate and equity drew more than 260 applications from around the world.
WASHINGTON, DC (December 16, 2020) — WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities announced five projects as finalists for the 2020-2021 WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities today for showing how cities can address both climate change and inequality together.
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July 27, 2020
Urban changemakers around the globe are pursuing creative solutions to more inclusive and resilient cities. Photo by Shutterstock
As the world reaches critical milestones for the Paris Agreement, cities need concrete ways to translate global goals into local action. At the same time, cities are being asked to balance climate and sustainable development goals with the need for economic development.
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June 15, 2020
Photo by Sergio Mendoza Hochmann/Dreamstime
As factories and offices shut down and people stayed at home in response to COVID-19 and lockdowns, air pollution dropped around the world. People living in cities from Delhi to Los Angeles witnessed and even celebrated how long-obscured mountains appeared on the horizon as the particulate matter pollution decreased, and evidence from both ground monitors and satellites found significant drops in lung-damaging NOx. But pollution didn’t go away in many places, and pollution exposure over time has made thousands more vulnerable to complications from respiratory illnesses.