Cities and Climate Solutions: Exploring Impactful Climate Solutions from Cities Worldwide

Get inspired by our peer-learning webinar series featuring the inspiring voices of those who design and manage some of the world’s most impactful urban climate policies.

Inequities of all kinds often find their most pronounced and visible expression in cities. In response, a growing number of municipal administrations are combining local participatory action with national and international knowledge exchange, thus becoming laboratories for impactful and sustainable social solutions.

Between March and November 2023, the City Diplomacy Lab and Columbia Global Paris Center brought together the representatives of cities that have implemented some of the most impactful and sustainable climate actions.

The four webinars of the Cities and Social Solutions series covered the local challenges and solutions regarding social justice, gender, inclusion, and age. Each webinar saw the participation of representatives of three champion cities from different continents.

This series celebrates the leadership of cities and provides inspiration for the thousands of cities and local governments around the world committed to shaping an equitable future for all urban residents.

Cities and Social Solutions | Water (March 22, 2023)

How are cities dealing with (or preparing to deal with) increasingly severe water crises such as drought, floods, and water pollution?

Partner: Columbia Global Amman Center

Cities represented: Los Angeles (United States) and Amman (Jordan).

Panelists:

  • Nisreen Daoud, Manager of Sustainable Development and Amman Resilience Unit, Greater Amman Municipality
  • Ben Wong, Civil Engineering Associate, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)

Opening remarks: Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, Founding Director, City Diplomacy Lab

Moderator: Beth Tellman, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona School of Geography, Development, and Environment


Cities and Climate Solutions | Food (March 14, 2024)

How are cities designing and managing urban policies for food security, safety, and sustainability?

Partner: Columbia Global Rio Center

Cities represented: New York City (United States), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Milan (Italy)

Panelists:

  • Milagros de Hoz, Senior Policy Advisor at the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, City of New York
  • Thalyta Ferraz, Local Diplomacy Advisor, City of Rio de Janeiro
  • Elisa Porreca, Food Policy Officer, City of Milan

Moderation by Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, City Diplomacy Lab Founding Director.


Cities and Climate Solutions | Air (November 22, 2023)

Topics: air pollution, local public health, carbon neutrality, climate budgets, and equity and inclusion.

Partners: the Columbia Climate SchoolColumbia Global Centers | Mumbaiand the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF).

Cities represented: Lagos (Nigeria), Leeds (United Kingdom), Mumbai (India), and Stockholm (Sweden).

Panelists:

  • Andrew Hickford  Senior Project Manager in Sustainable Energy and Air Quality, Leeds City Council

Opening remarks by Lucy Slack, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum

Moderator: Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, Founding Director, City Diplomacy Lab.


Cities and Social Solutions | Energy (December 6, 2023)

Topics: energy poverty, urban renewable energy, building energy regulations, energy retrofit, and just transition.

Partners: Columbia Global Nairobi CenterColumbia Global Santiago Center, and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF).

Cities represented: Braga (Portugal) and Santiago (Chile)

Panelists:

  • Hélder Costa, Member of the Office to Support the Presidency, Municipality of Braga
  • Mauricio Fabry, Head of the Department of Environment, Biodiversity and Climate Action, Metropolitan Regional Government of Santiago

Moderation by Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, Founding Director, City Diplomacy Lab

Opening remarks by Séverine C. Martin, Public Programs Manager, Columbia Global Center Paris.


Cities and Social Solutions | Waste (December 20, 2023)

How can cities turn waste from a costly burden to a resource for the community, the environment, and the economy? The second season of the Cities and Climate Solutions webinar series concluded with an outstanding panel on the potential of sustainable waste management in making cities sustainable, just, and resilient.

Partner: Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF).

Cities represented: Maharashtra (India) and Montpellier(France).

Panelists:

  • Sameer Unhale, State Joint Commissioner of Municipal Administration, Government of Maharashtra
  • Clare Hart, Vice-President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole

Moderation by Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, Founding Director, City Diplomacy Lab

Opening remarks by Lucy Slack, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum