Climate Change

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pallets of green oil barrels stacked

Whatever Happened to Peak Oil?

The Wall Street Journal re-examines the doomsday scenarios of Peak Oil now that fracking has pushed oil production to record levels.

September 30, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Gov. Jerry Brown Touts California's Success at U.N. Climate Summit

Leonardo DiCaprio may have received top billing, but Jerry Brown spoke as well on the actions of the Golden State to combat climate change under his watch. Two days earlier, he signed six bills to increase sales of electric vehicles.

September 26, 2014 - Sacramento Bee

Anchorage Alaska

Where to Go in the Event of Climate Change

Anchorage, Seattle, and Detroit will be pretty cozy compared to just about everywhere else in the United States if climate change models hold true.

September 23, 2014 - New York Times

Studies: 2013 Worldwide Carbon Emissions Higher than Ever

World leaders gathering today in New York City for a United Nations climate summit will be greeted by the news that the world is doing worse than ever in reducing carbon emissions.

September 23, 2014 - The Hill

Report Illuminates Weak Efforts to Reduce Carbon Intensity

According to the most recent PricewaterhouseCoopers "Low Carbon Economy Index," the planet's current carbon intensity will see a 7.2 degree Fahrenheit increase by 2050.

September 12, 2014 - Grist

Mixed-use waterfront

6 Ways Urban Renewal Misses the Livability Mark

Despite spending millions on urban renewal projects, municipalities often miss a common group of opportunities to make their communities more livable and walkable, according to William Adams, a San Diego-based land use attorney.

September 12, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Meet China's New Carbon Market

The world's largest emitter of CO2, China, has adopted a cap-and-trade program would open the world's largest carbon market as early as 2016.

September 9, 2014 - Mother Jones

Local Climate Change Response Prevailing Over Federal Action

With national action tackling climate change remaining weak, regional and local municipalities are taking substantive actions to address the oncoming severe affects of climate change.

September 3, 2014 - Brookings Institution

China Bans the Use of Coal Around Cities

In this Sunday Review editorial, The New York Times applauds China's announcement that it will ban coal burning in the Beijing region by 2020, but warns that some solutions to air pollution will exacerbate climate change.

August 26, 2014 - The New York Times

Study Measures Impacts of Climate and Land Use Changes

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Aarhus University in Denmark understand for the first time the combined potential impacts of both climate and land-use change on plants, animals, and ecosystems throughout the United States.

August 23, 2014 - Science Daily

Los Angeles Skyline with houses

Some Like it Hot: Adapting Los Angeles to Climate Change

Closing out the "Just Add Water" lecture series, four panelists came together to discuss climate change, cultural shifts for sustainability, and adapting Los Angeles's urban fabric for greater climate resiliency in the future.

August 14, 2014 - Maayan Dembo

International Effort Needed to Prevent Recurrence of Lake Erie Algal Bloom

On Monday, August 4, half a million people in the Toledo, Ohio metro region could once again drink from their water taps after a weekend without safe drinking water due to a toxin resulting from an algal bloom in the city's water supply, Lake Erie.

August 7, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

How Los Angeles' Urban Parks Battle Climate Change

An overview of how Los Angeles County’s Department of Parks and Recreation is creating projects that tackle the effects of climate change, by planner Clement Lau.

August 1, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire: Summer Temperatures in 2100

A new interactive map titled "1,001 Blistering Future Summers" displays predicted daytime summer heat temperatures for 1,001 cities in the United States for the year 2100.

July 31, 2014 - CityLab

Aerial views during an Army search and rescue mission show damage from Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast, Oct. 30, 2012.

How Coastal Communities Can Adapt to the Effects of Climate Change

Dave Hampton, an architect and a principal at the consulting firm re:ground llc reviews last month’s "MIT Sea Grant’s Climate Change Symposium: Sustaining Coast Cities."

July 19, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Virginia Takes First Tentative Steps toward Climate Change Adaptation

A combination of environmental factors exposes Virginia’s coastal dwellers to some of the nation’s most severe climate change-related hazards, yet the state has almost zero plans for adaptation. Could that be about to change?

July 16, 2014 - Pacific Standard

Mayors Drop Cap and Trade from New Climate Agreement

The U.S. Conference of Mayors signed a voluntary agreement to reduce carbon emissions in their respective cities, as they did ten years ago, but dropped the provision that they lobby Congress to pass a cap and trade bill to reduce emissions.

July 13, 2014 - Governing

World Bank Study Finds Large-Scale Benefits for 'Climate-Smart Development'

A new study by the World Bank examines the benefits for policies addressing clean transportation, energy efficiency in industry, and energy efficiency in buildings in five countries and the European Union.

June 26, 2014 - The World Bank

When is Density Beneficial in Disasters?

Comparing cities versus suburbs in disaster resiliency and recovery.

June 15, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Big Changes for the National Geographic Atlas of the World Due to Melting Arctic Ice

National Geographic Geographer Juan José Valdés calls the changes in the map of Arctic ice in the 10th edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World, "the biggest visible change other than the breakup of the U.S.S.R."

June 12, 2014 - National Geographic

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.