In the lead up the COP21, some countries, such as Jordan, are including building efficiency upgrades in their strategic plans to decrease emissions. Photo by Justin A. Wilcox/Flickr
TheCityFix is covering cities at COP21. Urban areas account for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions but are also tremendous agents of innovation to address climate change.
Cities, such as Dubai, have improved energy efficiency by setting both public and private sector goals. (Photo: lam_chihang/Flickr)
The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score — Bill Copeland.
Buildings, such as the Bullitt Center, not only utilize renewable energy, but are designed to consume less energy overall. (Photo: Brad Kahn/ Flickr)
Google recently released Project Sunroof—an interactive online tool that allows building owners to estimate how much money they can save by installing solar panels on their roofs.
To retrofit its public buildings, Mexico City should creatively adapt its internal budget and seek out external financing. (Photo: Alvaro Sánchez/ Flickr)
When it comes to improving energy efficiency in buildings, cities can lead by example to create a big impact.
Encouraging energy efficient behavior in buildings is best accomplished when managers respect local culture.
With the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit coming up this weekend, cities are looking to play a much larger role in achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals.
To meet its emission goals, China should begin to reevaluate building efficiency with new technology and better financing. (Photo: Alexander Savin / Flickr)
China made international news earlier this summer when it announced a new pledge to peak its emissions by 2030, in addition to other climate commitments.
To decrease energy consumption, cities in Latin America–such as Mexico City–are launching new initiatives to boost the energy efficiency of their buildings.
Solar panels in Mexico City. Photo Credit: EMBARQ México
City leaders worldwide are increasingly prioritizing energy efficiency, given the growing global demand for energy and the pressing need for climate adaptation.
Some cities—like Jakarta, Indonesia—are innovatively utilizing building benchmarking programs to promote energy savings. (Photo: Stefan Magdalinski /Flickr)
The U.S.
It can often be difficult for residents–like those of Wuxi, China–to know how their homes perform compared to similar homes. Benchmarking fills this knowledge gap, helping the city improve building performance. Photo by Mr Thinktank / Flickr.
Green spaces in cities, such as New York’s High Line, promote an active, sustainable lifestyle for city residents. Photo by David Berkowitz/Flickr.
Innovative building designs can use “smog-eating” technology to improve air quality in cities like Bogota, Colombia. Photo by Michael McCullough/Flickr.
Many cities around the world are suffering from severe air pollution.
Because buildings in world cities like Mumbai, India (pictured) produce more than 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, improving building efficiency is critical to making cities more sustainable. Photo by Simone D. McCourtie/World Bank.
World Resources Institute has established WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities to encompass a wider range of issues related to urban sustainability. Photo by Christian Haugen/Flickr.
Today, we are launching the public face of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and WRIcities.org.
By 2030, the world’s cities are expected to grow by 1.
Buildings are a significant contributor to Mexico City’s greenhouse gas emissions and the focus of a new partnership to improve energy efficiency and create a more sustainable, competitive city. Photo by Alejandro Mejia Greene/Flickr.
Rising demand for energy worldwide is making the need for affordable, sustainable energy sources increasingly urgent.
Buildings are Mexico City’s number one source of greenhouse gas emissions and the focus of a new partnership to improve energy efficiency and create a more sustainable, competitive city. Photo by Alejandro Mejia Greene/Flickr.
Buildings are an important part of the sustainability picture for Mexico City.
Retrofitting public buildings to be more energy efficient is an important step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in China. Photo by Brendan Corey Benson/Flickr.
As China urbanizes, buildings in the country’s cities are a growing source of emissions and air pollution.
A growing coalition of cities, NGOs, and private companies are advancing building efficiency efforts that save money and greenhouse gas emissions. Photo by Omar Barcena/Flickr.
Urbanization is reshaping the economy, energy systems, and climate of our planet. By 2050, the world’s cities are expected to add 2.
Experts attending an Institute for Building Efficiency roundtable agreed that it is time for more holistic approaches to building energy savings using available technologies to support the optimization of building performance. Intelligent efficiency looks beyond specific components – it enables a step-change in efficiency by using information and communications technologies to optimize...