Latin American Cities Take Charge in Climate Change Planning

Cities around the world are taking climate change planning into their own hands. MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning surveyed 468 cities and compiled data [PDF] about the steps they've taken to be more sustainable and prepare for climate change.

Brooks notes that "95 percent of all Latin American cities responding to the survey have made steps toward comprehensive climate adaptation planning - far outpacing U.S. cities, only 59 percent of which have engaged the issue as a urban planning policy matter."

"Organizations like C40, a consortium of city governments investigating approaches to tackling climate change in urban settings, have gone so far as to say that 'climate change begins in the city.' With perennially stalled efforts in the UN and other multilateral international cooperation deals over greenhouse gas emissions, disaster mitigation standards, and environmentally sustainable economic activity, the onus is on local governments to devise strategies to cope with the reality of global climate change."

Thanks to Akemi Leung