Blog Layout

Getting a full picture of city, state and regional climate actions and their impact

Ulrich Graute • 28 March 2022


Getting a full picture of city, state and regional climate measures and their impact

 
There is a growing sense of urgency of the need for real impact of climate measures by 2030. This growing sense is coming from reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), discussions at the last Conference of Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow in November 2021 and in preparation of COP27 which will take place in 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. In addition, the war in Ukraine also underscores the need especially of European countries to become independent of the import of coal, oil and gas. If this speeds up the transition to use renewable sources of energy this would reduce emissions and have a positive impact on climate adaptation. The good news is that climate policies have never been higher on the agenda and they also attract investments.

Beyond all the talk about climate change and the urgency to decarbonize and reduce emissions it is not easy to understand where cities and regions around the world stand with their efforts in response to climate challenge. There are reports on many single actions in individual cities (for instance, from Bolder, USA, to Bonn, Germany, and to Tshwane, South Africa) and there are hundreds if not several thousands of these actions under way to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. Considering that climate adaptation and decarbonization is urgently needed all around the globe these figures are not too impressive but it is difficult to get a full picture of ongoing progress in cities and regions. There is not the one organization representing all cities and regions in the world. Instead, there are several membership organizations and city networks like the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (co-founded by UCLG)[1]  or the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative [2].

At COP26 in November 2021 leading climate change scientists came together with city and business leaders, global NGOs and national governments to announce a new initiative, the Summary for Urban Policymakers (SUP) that will present the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments in accessible and targeted summaries that can help inform action at the city scale [3]. For the time being, national and international governmental and non-governmental organizations and donors have their own partner and project networks and reporting systems. Thus, there is not the one and only source. Fortunately, in addition to COPs there are regional climate conferences and climate reporting tools which can help to get a sense of the broader picture.


Exploring climate change and sustainability data reported by more than 1,200 city and regional governments to the CDP Cities, States and Regions Open Data Portal

According to its website, “CDP is a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. The world’s economy looks to CDP as the gold standard of environmental reporting with the richest and most comprehensive dataset on corporate and city action” [4].  CDP wants to see a thriving economy that works for people and planet in the long term. CDP focuses on investors, companies, cities and governments on building a sustainable economy by measuring and acting on their environmental impact. It want to motivate companies and cities to disclose their environmental impacts, giving decision makers the data they need to change market behaviour.

The reporting process is understood to encourage local and regional governments not just to report on what they did and are doing, but also to think about the climate risks that they’ll face in the future in their respective jurisdictions. In other words, it aims at helping to increase their climate-readiness and stimulates them to create comprehensive vulnerability assessments and action plans. The CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System goes one step further, enabling the reporting of indicators that evaluate progress in the realms of equity, resilience, and economic vitality, hence becoming a valuable tool to plan for a sustainable, equitable, and resilient urban transformation. This variety of data can also be used to generate buy-in from relevant stakeholders and communities, as well as identify economic opportunities.

Below is a snapshot of the reported data:

Source: CityTalk. A blog By ICLEI. https://talkofthecities.iclei.org/you-cant-manage-what-you-dont-measure-how-climate-reporting-tracks-progress-and-secures-investment/



Through their expertise and use of the Unified Reporting System, CDP and ICLEI can help subnational governments in any stage of their journey towards measuring, tracking, and managing their climate data, as well as set science-based climate targets to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate, ensuring buy-in from their communities and stakeholders. [5]


Impressive as the 1128 reporting entities and the represented population of the Unified Reporting System are, there are still major gaps. For instance, among the regional websites on cdp.net are no regional websites for Africa or for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Therefore, it remains indispensable to look at additional sources or to attend regional events like MENACW to get better insight. 


Regional conferences like the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week 2022


This week the first-ever edition of the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week, MENACW 2022, will be held from March 28 to March 31 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is likely to provide an overview and insights due to the number of organizers: The event is hosted by the Government of the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, World Green Economy Organization and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. It is jointly co-organized by core partners UN Climate Change, UN Development Programme, UN Environment Programme and the World Bank Group, with partners based in MENA – the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, the International Renewable Energy Agency and the League of Arab States Secretariat. The Climate Week 2022 will provide a platform for governments, cities, private sector leaders, financial institutions and civil society to discuss opportunities to build forward from the pandemic by identifying opportunities to enhance climate action. The event will bring together key stakeholders to take the pulse of climate action in the region, explore climate challenges and opportunities and showcase ambitious solutions. [6]



MENACW Workshop: New and radical spatial planning for systemic change in cities

On the opening day the climate week held a workshop on ‘New and radical spatial planning for systemic change in cities’. In this participatory virtual event, expert planners from different parts of the region exchanged ideas and explored priorities. Short presentations from different parts of the MENA Region included those by
   Abbas el Zafarany, Faculty of Urban Planning, Cairo University, Egypt
   Ali A. Alraouf, Professor Urban Planning Department Doha, Qatar

   Huda Shaka هدى الشكعة Shaka, Sustainable Development Advisor, The Green Urbanista, UAE
   Nasim Iranmanesh, Municipality of Tehran, Iran
   Firas Mourtada, MCIArb Mourtada, President, Urban Planners Association, Le Consultant, Lecturer, Beirut     


The advantage of conference and workshops like the MENA Climate Week is that they combine an overview on the region with deeper insights provided by speakers and discussants. Expert planners from different parts of the region used their timeslots to exchange ideas and explore priorities.


Spatial planning systems are the main tool most countries have for managing urban environments. Unfortunately, the mostly arid countries in the Middle East had given up traditional approaches to take climate conditions and water scarcity into consideration of planning. In return this means, that there is now a tremendous potential in Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Quatar, UAE and other parts of MENA to change planning in a positive direction and to make use for this endeavour traditional forms of urban and territorial planning.


The expected shift in planning was described as radical as it includes a paradigm shift from economy and prosperity to sustainability and resilience and as it requires a respective change of planning systems and its context.  


The workshop closed with a panel discussion chaired by Martina Juvara as panel chair and ISOCARP focal point for climate change and by Dushko Bogunovich, ISOCARP Scientific Committee.


It's a bit a pity that time for presentations and discussions was very limited as it is typical for online workshops nowadays. Therefore I am looking forward to further deepen exchange and discussions at in place conference like the World Urban Forum in Katovice in June 2022 and at the ISOCARP World Planning Congress in Brussels in October 2022.

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

Source: Screenshots of slides from the presentations by Abbas el Zafarany and Ali A. Alraouf






[1] https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/ - accessed on 28 March 2022

[2] https://www.cityleadership.harvard.edu/ - accessed on 28 March 2022

[3] https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/press/new-summary-for-urban-policymakers-initiative-announced/ - accessed on 28 March 2022

[4] https://www.cdp.net/en/info/about-us - accessed on 28 March 2022

[5] CitiTalk. A blog by ICLEI: You can’t manage what you don’t measure. How climate reporting tracks progress and secures investment. https://talkofthecities.iclei.org/you-cant-manage-what-you-dont-measure-how-climate-reporting-tracks-progress-and-secures-investment/ accessed on 28 March 2022

[6] https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/MENACW2022_InfoNote_180322.pdf - accessed on 28 March 2022; and https://unfccc.int/MENA-CW2022/daily-programme - accessed on 28 March 2022


Policies and Governance for Resilient and Sustainable Cities and Regions

We need the United Nations to be part of the solution, not of the problem

by Ulrich Graute • 8 March 2025
Picture: UN photo

Anatomy of an AI System

by Ulrich Graute • 25 February 2025
Click to see the map in the full scale or download map in pdf format here https://anatomyof.ai/img/ai-anatomy-map.pdf.

About the challenge of providing advice on governance and development in times of disruption and transition

by Ulrich Graute • 22 February 2025
About the challenge of providing advice on governance and development in times of disruption and transition (English with German captatio ns) Deutsch: Ulrich spricht darüber, wie es ist, in Zeiten von Umbruch, Wandel und vielfachen Krisen als erfahrener Berater zu arbeiten. Obwohl die Situation nicht einfach ist, kann man daraus auch Chancen für effizientere Institutionen und Unternehmen sehen. Erfahrung und Flexibilität sind dabei wichtig, um neue Wege zu finden. English: Ulrich talks about working as an experienced consultant in times of upheaval, change, and multiple crises. Although the situation is not easy, we can also see opportunities for more efficient institutions and companies. Experience and flexibility are important to find new pathways.

Urban politics, planning and economy in the Global South in times of fast developing AI

by Ulrich Graute • 12 February 2025
"The development of highly capable AI is likely to be the biggest event in human history. The world must act decisively to ensure it is not the last event in human history. This conference, and the cooperative spirit of the AI Summit series, give me hope; but we must turn hope into action, soon, if there is to be a future we would want our children to live in." Professor Stuart Russell, IASEAI President and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley Please join me on 13 February 2025 at ARCS 9.0 for my keynote on 'Urban politics, planning, and economy in the Global South in times of fast developing AI' The two weeks before my conference presentation were full of dynamics in the field of AI, its politics, and development. First came the launch of the 500 billion US$ Stargate Project in the USA, followed by the launch of the Chinese open-source large language model (LLM) DeepSeek. On 6 February the International Association for Safe & Ethical AI held its inaugural conference in Paris, France. Prominent AI scientists including Stuart Russel and the 2024 Physics Nobel Laureate Geoffrey Hinton called for international cooperation to ensure safe and ethical artificial intelligence. On 10 and 11 February 2025, France co-chaired by India hosted the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in Paris. The speeches by Heads of State and Government including the President of France, the Prime Minister of India, the President of the EU Commission, and the US Vice President gave the impression of how different countries of the world try to position themselves in a race for AI leadership. Urban politics, planning, and economy, not only in the Global South, need longer-term frameworks. How should digital transformation and urban planning be approached in cities facing multiple crises and the new wave of AI technological innovation? The latter is according to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others unprecedented in scale and speed but it is expected to affect all spheres of life. ARCS 9.0 schedule and Zoom link for Inaugural, plenaries and Valedictory. Date - 13th Feb to 15th Feb 2025 Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/95336599575?pwd=NExxgf8gBoubEfKRhhtbalM1ZYjQph.1 Meeting ID: 953 3659 9575

The 500 bn US$ Stargate Project - Places seem to matter more, Urban Planning and AI governance less or not at all

by Ulrich Graute • 22 January 2025
Source of the picture OpenAI: https://openai.com/index/announcing-the-stargate-project/

Learning to work hands-on for peace from former US-President Jimmy Carter

by Ulrich Graute • 1 January 2025
It was a tremendous privilege in my life to meet Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter for the first time in 1984 (picture) and then again in the summer of 1985 during my internship at Koinonia Farm near Americus, Georgia (USA). Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president of the U.S. from 1977 to 1981, died on December 29, 2024, at his home in Plains, Ga. Jimmy Carter was a lifelong farmer who worked with his hands building houses for the poor well into his 90s. I didn't agree with him on all issues (the early 1980s were the time of a new US missile deployment in Germany ordered by Jimmy Carter and a large peace movement against it) but he took the time to discuss it with me and others at Koinonia Farm. That alone was amazing. Even more mind-blowing was that he continued hands-on work on peacebuilding and house renovation for the poor around the world with Habitat for Humanity International well into his 90s. If in my career providing hands-on support became more important than climbing my own career path, this was also due to the example Jimmy Carter gave in the decades after his Presidency. I learned a lot from him about working for peace with humbleness, love, and perseverance. Read more in the New York Times about why Jimmy Carter was known as much for his charity and diplomatic work later in life as he was for his single presidential term, which ended in 1981. https://lnkd.in/d9qxSmTM *. *. *. *. * Note: This post was first published on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/graute_learning-to-work-hands-on-for-peace-from-activity-7279396908270309376-BBjV?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

The United Nations risks drowning in its mandates, conferences and external expectations. Could Artificial Intelligence help the UN?

by Ulrich Graute • 2 December 2024
In 2024, for the first time since 2000, the Parties to the United Nations Rio Conventions on biodiversity, climate change, and desertification faced a very busy 3 months, moving from large Conferences of Parties (COP) in Cali (Colombia) for biodiversity in October to Baku (Azerbaijan) for climate in November to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for desertification in December. On top of this Triple-COP, there was the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and the UN Summit of the Future in September in New York (USA) while UN-Habitat held its World Urban Forum in Cairo (Egypt), and let’s not forget the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5) which ended last weekend in Busan, South Korea. No real breakthroughs were reported but I noticed many promises to double future efforts. There is a lot that can be critically reviewed about the events, eg what’s the purpose of moving approximately 100.000+ delegates, UN staffers, and other participants worldwide if the necessary political will to agree and resources available are insufficient and the outcomes are limited accordingly? But such a critique would be a bit unfair since I don’t know how many new ideas and initiatives were born during those official meetings, side events, and informal chats that might bloom up in upcoming years despite of the multicrises we’re living in. What needs to be criticized is that the UN System is not progressing on its task to implement its many mandates more “synergistically” by targeting policies, programs, and initiatives to jointly address the goals of the Rio Conventions, SDGs, etc. Instead, the conferences referred to each other but worked mainly within their silos. This is not appropriate in a world full of interrelations and interdepensies. Well, no individual or group can follow up on every aspect, and swarm intelligence of conferences with thousands of participants each seems to be no functioning alternative. But what else could be done? To give an example: How about building an AI-based Large Language Model (LLM) trained with the UN Charter, all UN declarations, national and subnational resolutions, regulations, and programmes? AI Agents for the different conventions and agendas should then be asked to coordinate and propose “synergistic” proposals across policy levels. Of course, the use of artificial intelligence should be wisely supervised by a team of AI experts and professionals from all affected fields. I wouldn’t expect AI applications to solve all problems but to better inform decision-makers and UN agencies on integrated scenarios. This could help to increase efficiency, avoid duplicating efforts, and increase the overall problem-solving capacity of the UN. I would be happy to support such work with my governance and development experience across all policy levels. Picture source: https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/cop-nature-climate-adaptation-mitigation

THE GLOBAL STAGE FOR CITIES AND REGIONS AT THE UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE BAKU (COP29), NOVEMBER 2024

by Ulrich Graute • 14 November 2024
Since the first climate COP in 1995, the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency has been representing local and regional governments at the processes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The LGMA also represents ISOCARP - International Society of City and Regional Planners and Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments. ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability acts as the Focal Point of LGMA. The 2015 Paris Agreement marked a turning point, recognizing the essential role of these governments in enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions NDSs and driving transformative climate action. The LGMA is atively present in Baku with a robust agenda, numerous partners, and an esteemed delegation of political leaders representing local and subnational governments. At the center of the presence is the Multilevel Action & Urbanization Pavilion as the global stage for the city and region climate agenda during COP29. The Pavilion brings into focus not only the challenges and needs, but also the accomplishments and commitments of local and subnational actors on climate action. The Pavilion is open from 12 to 22 November in the Blue Zone, Area E, Pavilion I15. We are looking forward to welcoming you at the High-Level Opening on 12 November at 10:00 AM. Please find the agenda of LGMA attached. Please visit also the Youtube channel of ICLEI Global for daily updates https://lnkd.in/dddDCKtA Ulrich Graute - ISOCARP Online Delegate at COP29 and Chair of the ISOCARP Scientific Committee

Planning New Inclusive Cities using Smart Tech and Artificial Intelligence

by Ulrich Graute • 19 October 2024
Report on the Urban Conversation on Ethical Use of AI in Urban Planning at the 60th World Planning Congress in Siena, Italy on 11 OCTOBER 2024

Ethical use of Artificial Intelligence in Planning - Join our Urban Conversation on 11 October 2024 at the 60th ISOCARP World Planning Congress in Siena, Italy

by Ulrich Graute • 1 October 2024
Date: 11 October 2024 Time: 10:45 - 13:15 Room: Accademie. Fisiocritici Session background and a short description of the Content Cities form the heart of human development and innovation, with 80% of global GDP generated within them and according to the United Nations approximately 56% of the world’s population now live in cities, and likely to reach nearly 70% by 2050. At the same time, the urban world is on a journey to revitalize cities, build new cities for growing populations, to dismantle inequalities, and to create a sustainable urban legacy for future generations. The growth and demands of cities are rapidly changing and looking (or exploring) for new systems and planning tools. In this situation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides a transformative potential in managing and planning cities. It can support, analyze, and predict the impact of policy changes, demographic shifts and development plans. AI facilitates a valuable foundation for productive dialogue and constructive debate between municipal authorities, and the public and private sector. AI enables the People-focused city through systems integration and collaborations. Simultaneously, the application of generative AI in the public domain brings a number of risks and pitfalls. To assure an ethical use of the new wave of innovation in planning it is necessary to strike a careful balance between risk mitigation and harnessing its capabilities for public good and resilience. The central concept of modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the intelligent agent. As of today, we have limitations to building one general-purpose AI program that does everything, instead AI developers build different types of agent programs for different types of problems and contexts. AI researchers agree that the new wave of innovation will impact all spheres of life and require more actors for future developments of AI. The discussion on the use of AI cannot be left alone to IT programmers and code developers. In this context, the objective of the conversation is to bring together planning practitioners and experts from city-making to discuss the use and potential impact of AI in urban planning and management and the related leadership of ISOCARP in the global dialogue on AI governance and capacity building of planners. Recent examples eg from Australia and Saudi Arabia will be presented along with panel discussions. Session Organizers Dr Ulrich Graute, Chair of the ISOCARP Scientific Committee, Berlin Dr Sunil Dubey, The UNSW Cities Institute, Sydney. 1. Introduction to the theme of the session by Ulrich Graute 2. The making of inclusive, prosperous and sustainable cities and the new challenges and opportunities provided by AI and Data 2.1 The case of Australia - Key note by Dr Sarah Hill, CEO Greater Sydney Commission and Western Parkland City Authority (New South Wales Govt, former) ‘Planning New Cities and Inclusive economic development’ - Western Sydney Aerotropolis – Australia’s 22nd Century City Making through Community, Creativity and Innovation. 2.2 The case of Saudi Arabia (10 min) Progress, Peace & Prosperity 2030 – How Saudi Cities are transforming using data and power of Ai. Dr Sunil Dubey 3. Roundtable Moderation: Ulrich Graute Guiding questions include AI in Urban Planning: Navigating the Intersection of Technology and Values – AI as a technical tool and/or as co-pilot in planning New Cities and inclusive economic development. Including AI in existing planning systems and processes and the requirement eg of a regulatory framework and capacity-building. What shape will AI have on future cities? ISOCARP and the new wave of technological innovation. Panelists: Sarah Hill, Executive Project Director (Public Investment Fund PIF, Saudi Arabia) Eric Huybrecht, Congress Director ISOCARP’s 60th WPC, Institute Paris Region Elisabeth Belpaire, ISOCARP President-Elect Ulrich Graute, Chair of ISOCARP SciCom Sunil Dubey, Smart Cities thought leader. Website of the 60th ISOCARP World Planning Congress https://isocarp.org/activities/60th-wpc-siena-2024/ Website of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK) AI in urban planning: risks and opportunities https://acss.org.uk/publications/ai-in-urban-planning-risks-and-opportunities/
More posts

Contact Ulrich Graute

Share by: