Life After Carbon: The Next Global Transformation of Cities

Climate change, along with the demands of increasing population numbers, is straining the limits of nature and its resources. Gashouse emissions from fossil fuels demand control, while predictions of rising seas threaten the survival of too many coastal cities. Both authors, active in urban sustainability projects, have assembled an archive of city projects that plan for a sustainable future. Divided into three sections, the first segment covers urban climate innovation laboratories initiated in major cities such as San Francisco, Mexico City, Copenhagen, and other metropolitan areas across the world. The second part deals with the possible means and approaches needed to implement the essential modifications and ways to convince the citizenry of the directional shift. Considering the adjustments needed to accommodate different climatic conditions, a new mindset or gestalt, as the authors phrase it, must be instilled in the public by businesses, activists, policy makers, and residents. Controlling carbon emissions and consequent global warming is currently a prime concern, redesigning our cities to meet this demand is the focus of this enlightening book. Transforming our cities to meet the threat of global changes is just one area that should be brought to the attention of the billions of residents of this planet.