Saving The Climate Must Begin In Cities

Cities account for 75% of the world's enegry use. A few successful strategies to reduce emissions could cause massive changes in the environment.

1 minute read

October 10, 2005, 12:00 PM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Cities are also the place where most of the world's people live. This year, the proportion of the world population living in urban areas passed 50% for the first time. And because of their dense transport and power systems, cities account for 75% of the world's energy use. But cities also have the power to change rapidly through schemes that make big cuts in emissions. Look at London's anti-congestion car toll...

...Other cities that have led successful initiatives include Toronto, which uses nearby lake water to cool its downtown buildings, and Seattle, the champion greenhouse-gas reducer with a 48% cut from 1990 to 2000. Even lowly Woking, near London, has built a leisure centre powered by a hydrogen fuel cell that emits only water."

Thanks to Ashwani Vasishth

Sunday, October 9, 2005 in Nature

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 28, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and yellow DART light rail train in Dallas, Texas with brick building in background.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process

The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

May 28, 2025 - Mass Transit

Screenshot of shade map of Buffalo, New York with legend.

Interactive Map Reveals America's “Shade Deserts”

Launched by UCLA and American Forests to combat heat-related deaths, the tool maps the shade infrastructure for over 360 U.S. cities.

6 hours ago - UCLA Newsroom

Close-up of person putting sticker on back of basket of electric tricycle with mock license plate reading "E-TRIKE."

Bicycles and Books — In Sacramento, Libraries Now Offer Both

Adult library card holders can check out e-bikes and e-trikes for up to one week.

7 hours ago - The Sacramento Bee

Large pile of unsorted garbage in landfill with birds flying above at sunrise or sunset.

Colorado Landfills Emit as Much Pollution as 1M Cars

Landfills are the third-largest source of methane pollution in Colorado, after agriculture and fossil fuel extraction.

June 3 - Colorado Newsline

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.