Photo: Renewable-Cities-1
ICLEI partners with new city energy programme
20 March 2015
by Richard Forster
ICLEI – local governments for sustainability, has partnered with the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver, Canada, to help establish a new global energy programme–Renewable Cities.
Renewable Cities aims to accelerate the adoption of 100 percent renewable energy within cities globally and recognises that an integrated approach to energy efficiency and urban design is required. It is a five-year programme that has been co-designed with leaders in local government, the private sector, key innovators and thought leaders, and utilities.
Situated in Vancouver, which aims to be the greenest city in the world by 2020, Renewable Cities will leverage its expertise as a research-based dialogue convener to support the work municipal, private sector, and civil society partners in the 100 percent renewable energy movement.
Leading the programme is the newly appointed Executive Director, Michael Small. “I have a permanent interest in sustainability and the challenge of meshing development with environment,” he said. “Cities are already implementing renewable energy to address climate change and liveability issues and I hope to work with the leading urban centres.”
The Renewable Cities programme will be launched at a Global Learning Forum in Vancouver, 13-15 May. It will bring together leading jurisdictions as well as individuals working on urban energy issues for a solutions focused dialogue. ICLEI will be participating and will be playing a leading role in the ‘Pathways to Paris’ session that will discuss how cities and renewable energy can feed into COP21 in Paris.
“Cities have always been international and have common, comparable services–transport and housing, for example,” added Small. “Wherever the world ends up in terms of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate change, urban centres will be at the heart of the change. Cities are now in a position to move on sustainable development in ways that countries can’t, and they have a strong motivation to cooperate.”
