Cities 1.5

For hundreds of years, people have been pondering the power of information. In this past season of Cities 1.5, we’ve seen examples of cities from around the world who are using data and the lived experiences of their inhabitants to create policies that support healthier lives for people and planet: from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to Tokyo, Japan, to Princeton, Canada. But while history - and our own conversations on this podcast - prove that knowledge is powerful…it isn’t always easy to come by. For the final episode of Cities 1.5 season 5, David meets two knowledge and dissemination specialists who speak with him about the importance of data and information for climate action and what other ingredients are key to effective communications about global heating.  Featured guests: Katie Walsh [https://citiesclimatefinance.org/member-spotlight/katie-walsh-cdp], Head of Climate Finance for Cities, States, and Regions at CDP Andrea Learned [https://andrealearned.com/], climate influence catalyst and strategist Links: Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan_(Hobbes_book)] Cities are responsible for over 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions [https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/sustainablecities/cutting-global-carbon-emissions-where-do-cities-stand#:~:text=Cities%20account%20for%20over%2070,constructed%20with%20carbon%2Dintensive%20materials.] - World Bank Global Covenant of Mayors [https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/] Earth Positive Action [https://www.cdp.net/en/press-releases/transparency-to-action-cdp-rebrands-for-an-earth-positive-future] - CDP Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance Forum [https://citiesclimatefinance.org/] Global Snapshot Report 2024 [https://www.cdp.net/en/insights/showcasing-cities-investment-needs-for-aligned-multilevel-climate-action] - CDP Paris Climate Agreement [https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement] CHAMP [https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/topic/0TOVo0000005cO1OAI/cities-and-the-coalition-for-high-ambition-multilevel-partnerships-champ?language=en_US] - C40 Andrea Learned’s Green Biz article on the five Ls of Twitter leadership [https://trellis.net/article/5-ls-leadership-twitter/] Living Change podcast [https://andrealearned.com/podcast/] Bike Talk podcast [https://soundcloud.com/biketalk/bike-talk-andrea-learned] Bowinn MA, Canadian politician elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 2017 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowinn_Ma] Album: Joy as an act of resistance [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_as_an_Act_of_Resistance] Sustainable Development Goal 11 [https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal11] - United Nations If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/ [https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/] Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and Cities 1.5 is supported by C40 Cities and the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. You can sign up to the Centre newsletter here. https://thecentre.substack.com/ [https://thecentre.substack.com/] Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield. Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/ [https://jessdoespodcasting.com/] Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ [https://www.morganechambrin.com/] Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/ [https://origamipodcastservices.com/]

The building and construction sector is responsible for a mind-boggling 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The kinds of construction materials we use - and the building sector generally - are also responsible for almost a third of global resource consumption. Shifting to cleaner methods of construction is the only way to minimize the damage we are causing to the planet, while still providing homes, workplaces and vital infrastructure for all. Featured guests: Henrique Goes [https://www.c40.org/our-team/henrique-goes/], Clean Construction Manager at C40 Vivek Parekh [https://influencemap.org/multipage/Our-People-6599], Fossil Fuels Program Manager at InfluenceMap Links: The building and construction sector’s share in global greenhouse gas emissions [https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/06/building-sector-climate-change-construction-materials/#:~:text=The%20building%20value%20chain%20is,green%20transition%20from%20now%20on.] - World Economic Forum UN prediction for rural to urban migration [https://ourworldindata.org/urbanization#:~:text=By%202050%2C%20it's%20projected%20that,and%20Guyana%20in%20Latin%20America.] - Our World in Data Premature deaths from household air pollution [https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/air-quality-energy-and-health/sectoral-interventions/household-air-pollution/health-risks] - World Health Organization Clean Construction Programme [https://www.c40.org/accelerators/clean-construction/] - C40 Cities Report on clean construction and green job opportunities [https://www.c40.org/news/clean-construction-jobs-growth/#:~:text=date%20with%20C40.-,Clean%20construction%20could%20create%20millions%20of%20jobs%20and%20drive%20inclusive,cities%2C%20new%20C40%20research%20shows&text=New%20research%20from%20C40%20Cities,of%20millions%20of%20green%20jobs.] - C40 Cities Influence Map’s LobbyMap [https://lobbymap.org/] International Gas Union’s Climate Strategy [https://influencemap.org/landing/-a794566767a94a5d71052b63a05e825f-20189] - Influence Map Electrification as the clearest pathway for decarbonising buildings [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/chapter/chapter-9/] - IPCC report State of Victoria’s Gas Substitution Roadmap [https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/guides-and-resources/strategies-and-initiatives/victorias-gas-substitution-roadmap#:~:text=The%20Gas%20Substitution%20Roadmap%20(GSR,put%20this%20roadmap%20into%20action.] - Victoria State Government EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive [https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_24_1966] - European Commission Overturned gas ban in the City of Berkley [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/09/berkeley-natural-gas-ban-lawsuit-repeal] - The Guardian Advanced Energy United [https://advancedenergyunited.org/] If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/ [https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/] Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and Cities 1.5 is supported by C40 Cities and the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. You can sign up to the Centre newsletter here. https://thecentre.substack.com/ [https://thecentre.substack.com/] Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield. Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/ [https://jessdoespodcasting.com/] Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ [https://www.morganechambrin.com/] Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/ [https://origamipodcastservices.com/]

Capitalism is an illness: it’s killing our planet, and by extension, us. Economic instability and environmental concerns are symptoms that can only be cured by redefining prosperity in terms of health and wellbeing, so that we can create sustainable, equitable societies. In his new book, The Care Economy [https://timjackson.org.uk/the-care-economy/], returning guest Tim Jackson dives into historical and systemic reasons behind our current economic challenges and shares personal experiences that highlight the importance of systemic change in healthcare and beyond. He shares insights from his book around the philosophical and practical implications of fostering a balanced, care-oriented economic model - and how it might just save the world. Image credit: Fernando Manoso-Borgas  Featured guests: Tim Jackson [https://timjackson.org.uk/], ecological economist, radio dramatist, Director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP) [https://cusp.ac.uk/], and author. Links:  Prosperity without Growth [https://timjackson.org.uk/ecological-economics/pwg/] - Tim Jackson Physiologist Walter Cannon [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1447286/] - National Library of Medicine Aneurin Bevin, architect of the NHS [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bevan_aneurin.shtml] - BBC Current epidemic of chronic disease [https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/about/index.html] - CDC Ecological Economics [https://www.isecoeco.org/] - The International Society for Ecological Economics The Flexner Report [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3178858/] - National Library of Medicine Cities as Urban Laboratories [https://utppublishing.com/digital-content/jccpe-podcast/cities-as-urban-labs-re-think-prosperity-with-angelos-varvarousis-and-takehiko-nagumo] - Cities 1.5 If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/ [https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/] Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and Cities 1.5 is supported by C40 Cities and the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. You can sign up to the Centre newsletter here. https://thecentre.substack.com/ [https://thecentre.substack.com/] Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield. Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/ [https://jessdoespodcasting.com/] Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ [https://www.morganechambrin.com/] Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/ [https://origamipodcastservices.com/]

Cities around the world are on the frontlines of climate disaster. In Lisbon, Portugal, unprecedented flooding has required the construction of significant climate resilience projects like the city's drainage master plan. In the global south, cities like Ahmedabad, India are getting hotter and hotter…and the women who live in this region are disproportionately impacted physically and financially by heat wave events. But as we can see through the shining examples of both these urban centres, by combining mitigation and adaptation actions - like innovative parametric heat insurance projects, and equitable public transportation initiatives - with community informed policies, we can build resilient cities that will be able to withstand the increasing impacts of climate change. Featured guests: Carlos Moedas [https://www.themayor.eu/en/portugal/lisbon/mayors/carlos-moedas-467], Mayor of Lisbon Kathy Baughman McLeod [https://www.climateresilience.org/about-executive-leadership], CEO, Climate Resilience for All  Links:  10 of the Oldest Continuously Inhabited Cities in the World [https://history.howstuffworks.com/world-history/oldest-city-in-world.htm] - How Stuff Works Horizon Europe [https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en] - European Commission European Research Council [https://erc.europa.eu/homepage] The US brain drain has begun [https://www.politico.eu/article/united-states-higher-education-brain-drain-academic-freedom-research-innovation-donald-trump/] - Politico Lisbon approved free public transport for young and elderly residents [https://mayorsofeurope.eu/news/lisbon-approved-free-public-transport-for-young-and-elderly-residents/] - Mayors of Europe Lisbon Mayor Wants Companies to Help Fix City’s Housing Shortage [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-10/lisbon-mayor-wants-companies-to-help-fix-city-s-housing-shortage?srnd=phx-economics-v2] - Bloomberg Lisbon Drainage Master Plan [https://planodrenagem.lisboa.pt/fileadmin/pgdl/_ficheiros/Brochura_PGDL_eng.pdf] Lisbon aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 with EU support [https://lisboaparapessoas.pt/en/2022/02/01/lisbon-neutral-carbon-mission-cities-ue/] - LPP Climate Resilience for All [https://www.climateresilience.org/] Heat and gender: Enhancing her resilience to rising temperatures [https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/heat-and-gender--enhancing-her-resilience-to-rising-temperatures] - World Bank World-First Financial Product Combining Insurance and Cash Payments for Extreme Heat is a Lifeline for 50,000 Informal Women Workers in India [https://www.climateresilience.org/wcs-50000women] - Climate Resilience for All If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/ [https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/] Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and Cities 1.5 is supported by C40 Cities and the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. You can sign up to the Centre newsletter here. https://thecentre.substack.com/ [https://thecentre.substack.com/] Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield. Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/ [https://jessdoespodcasting.com/] Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ [https://www.morganechambrin.com/] Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/ [https://origamipodcastservices.com/]

As global temperatures and sea-levels rise, so to does the frequency of climate-driven migration. The search for a safe, healthy, and prosperous place to live has been a feature of humanity since time immemorial...but an increasingly polarized and toxic global discourse sees migrants being increasingly demonized, which makes it hard to have much-needed conversations around the issue. For many migrants of the climate crisis, cities are the end destination, which means that our urban centres need to be prepared for these new realities by adapting infrastructure, services, and policies to create healthy and resilient environments for all residents - old, and new. It’s way past time to open up the conversation. Image credit: Jody Foster Featured guests: Spencer Coyne, [https://www.ubcm.ca/about-ubcm/who-we-are/staff/mayor-spencer-coyne] Mayor of Princeton, BC, Canada. Jazmin Burgess, Director, Inclusive Climate Action; [https://www.c40.org/our-team/jazmin-burgess/] Giovanni Pagani, Senior Manager, Climate and Migration [https://www.c40.org/our-team/giovanni-pagani/]; and Claudia Huerta, Senior Manager for City Diplomacy and Campaigns, Climate and Migration [https://www.c40.org/our-team/claudia-huerta/]. Links:  Simon Kofe’s speech to COP26 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icbyIsXi1RM]- New Scientist (Video) Why cities must prepare for climate migration [https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/Why-cities-must-prepare-for-climate-migration?language=en_US]- C40 Knowledge Hub The far right is weaponizing climate change to argue against immigration [https://www.vox.com/22456663/arizona-environment-immigration-climate-change-right-wing] - Vox Flooded Princeton, B.C., faces days without heat, says mayor [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHir9doMrCk] - CBC News (Video) $1.7 billion flood projects still stalled in Abbotsford, Princeton and Merritt [https://vancouversun.com/news/1-7-billion-flood-projects-still-stalled-in-abbotsford-princeton-and-merritt-without-funding] - Vancouver Sun Future urban landscapes: Climate migration projections in cities [https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/Future-urban-landscapes-Climate-migration-projections-in-cities?language=en_US]- C40 Knowledge Hub C40-MMC Global Mayors Task Force on Climate and Migration [https://www.c40.org/what-we-do/raising-climate-ambition/inclusive-thriving-cities/c40-mmc-partnership-on-cities-climate-migration/] - C40 The ‘Climate Migration’ Narrative Is Inaccurate, Harmful, and Pervasive. We Need an Alternative [https://www.cgdev.org/blog/climate-migration-narrative-inaccurate-harmful-and-pervasive-we-need-alternative] - Centre for Global Development If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/ [https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/] Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and Cities 1.5 is supported by C40 Cities and the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. You can sign up to the Centre newsletter here. https://thecentre.substack.com/ [https://thecentre.substack.com/] Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield. Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/ [https://jessdoespodcasting.com/] Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ [https://www.morganechambrin.com/] Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/ [https://origamipodcastservices.com/]