Cities 1.5

As catastrophic wildfires intensify across Canada - destroying homes, blanketing the country in smoke, forcing evacuations, and driving major economic losses - we ask in this episode what it will take to live with fire in a warming world. 

David sits down with returning guest to the podcast, fire ecologist and professor Jen Baron, to hear how decades of suppression and the disruption of Indigenous cultural burning helped create today’s more severe, fast-moving fires. We also hear from Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland as he recounts the 2024 wildfire that destroyed 374 structures (including his own home!) despite strong preparation and makes the plea for disaster-ready, low-carbon housing and faster clean-energy transition to save other communities from the same destruction. David also speaks with Métis leader for the province of Alberta, Gabrielle Blatz, as she urges governments to include Indigenous knowledge and Métis women in emergency planning, and Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell to hear how the residents of his own small town continue to fight for mitigation projects in the face of destructive pipeline expansions. 

Oh, Canada: Solutions for the Climate Crisis is supported by Elbows Up for Climate, The C40 Centre, and the University of Toronto Press. 

Featured guests:

Dr Jen Baron,  Assistant Professor of Fire Ecology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in the Center for Wildfire Coexistence

Richard Ireland, Mayor of Jasper, AB

Gabrielle Blatz, Otipemisiwak Métis Government's Provincial Secretary of Women, Gender Equity & Inclusion

Merlin Blackwell, Mayor of Clearwater, BC

Links:

The Government of Canada provides an update regarding the 2026 wildfire season – August update - Public Safety Canada

Centre for Wildfire Coexistence

Indigenous Heritage in Kelowna - Tourism Kelowna  

Attribution of the Influence of Human‐Induced Climate Change on an Extreme Fire Season - National Library of Medicine 

America's Fires: A Historical Context for Policy and Practice - The University of North Carolina Press 

Blending Indigenous and western science: Quantifying cultural burning impacts in Karuk Aboriginal Territory - The Ecological Society of America, Volume 34, Issue 4

What do you mean, ‘megafire’? - Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

How wildfire smoke travels from Ontario to New York City — and turns distant city skies orange - CBC News 

How Canada helped in past U.S. wildfires as Ford says some are ‘chirping’ - Global News 

Timeline of the Jasper Wildfire - Parks Canada 

History of Jasper - Municipality of Jasper 

Year Two Progress Report - Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre 

Mayor of Jasper loses home in devastating mountain park wildfires: ‘I see memories of life taken’ - Global News 

Lessons from the Jasper wildfire: build disaster-ready, energy-secure homes - The Hill Times

Secretary Spotlight: Gabrielle Blatz - Otipemisiwak Metis Government  

Green Municipal Fund

Ma ma tâ wan sakâw Healing Forest - Porject Forest

Season 1 | Episode 1 | Good Fire Podcast - Indigenous Leadership Initiative

Clearwater adopts new wildfire resiliency plan - Clearwater Times 

FireSmart Canada

Why the Lytton fire of 2021 won’t be forgotten, the community is trying to move forward - CBC News 

Wells Gray Community Forest

Clearwater Financial Plan - District of Clearwater

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Our Associate Producer is Rachel Schneider.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Canada is having a moment: our reputation and soft power are growing. In the face of unexpected tariffs, a deepening housing crisis, and skyrocketing cost of living, Canadians are asking who we really are, what we want to stand for…and what lies ahead. There is great opportunity to be had, but also great risk in the road ahead. Canada needs energy independence and geopolitical protection - but Mark Carney’s federal government seems to be choosing a path of further baking in fossil fuels, rather than forging a progressive path that assures a safe future for all. Cities - and the people who call this country home - are asking for a different way forward. 

The science is clear, and it’s telling us we need to make big changes. But we know that science alone is not enough to turn the tide of the climate crisis. We need to figure out how to tell better, more community centered stories around the impacts happening on the frontlines, in our own backyards…and we need elected leadership across the country to listen, learn, and act in the best interests of Canadians.

In the first episode of this special 6-part miniseries, we hear about the science, data, and politics that brought Canada to this crucial moment - and while we unravel the complicated history of how we got here, we also begin to look forward to the solutions we need to protect the people and places in this land we call Canada.

Oh, Canada: Solutions for the Climate Crisis is supported by Elbows Up for Climate, The C40 Centre, and the University of Toronto Press. 

Featured guests:

Ian Mauro, Executive Director of the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS)

Amber Bennet, Executive Director of Re.Climate

Steven Guilbeault, former Minister of the Environment

Links:

Canada Day Poll: Canadians are more proud even as anxiety about the future persists - Abacus Data

Climate Atlas of Canada - Prairie Climate Center

Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium

UNEP: World set to cross 1.5°C global warming, but can still limit, adapt to and return from higher temperatures - UN Environment Programme 

What is the Paris agreement and why does 1.5C matter? - BBC 

Government of Canada releases Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change in Canada - Environment and Climate Change Canada 

Indigenous Knowledge Studies - Indigenous & Community Engagement (ICE) 

British Columbia Assembly of First Nations 

Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs

British Columbia First Nations Climate Strategy and Action Plan 

Relationship Protocol advances First Nations climate solutions - PICS

Relationship Protocol Between First Nations Leadership Council And The Pacific Institute For Climate Solutions - PICS

First Nations Leadership Council

Radical Act of Hope - Podcast 

Chief Frank Brown joins PICS as next Indigenous Climate Fellow - UVic News 

Come Hell or High Water - CBC

Ethical Oil - The Narwhal 

Alberta Narrative Projects

Canadians (Still) Care About Climate Change - Re.Climate

UK politicians think public opposition to climate policy is far greater than it is, study finds - University of Cambridge Research 

Americans and policymakers underestimate endorsement for the most popular climate solution narrative, combining personal and political action - Nature

Canadians Want to Become a Renewable Energy Superpower - Re.Climate 

Canadians' climate change concerns rebound amid wildfire season - CBC article 

The inconvenient clarity of Steven Guilbeault - Canada’s National Observer 

When Steven Guilbeault climbed the CN Tower for a climate protest - CBC

Jurisdiction, duties and authorities - Environment and Climate Change Canada 

Key facts about Canada’s competitiveness for foreign direct investment - Government of Canada

Radical or pragmatist? Either way, Steven Guilbeault has his work cut out - CBC 

Rachel Notley helped strike a grand bargain on oil and the climate. Can Trudeau save it? - CBC

(Almost) everybody in Canada wants a pipeline. Nobody wants to pay for it - The Narwhal 

Alberta’s Fossil Fuel Fixation Is Dimming Renewables’ Bright Future - The Tyee

Alberta gets its way in deal with Ottawa - Canada’s National Observer

The Man Who Wants to Break Up Canada - Maclean’s 

Mark Carney named United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance - Bank of England

The largest public transit investment in Canadian history - Office of the Prime Minster of Canada

Guilbeault says Canada 'backsliding' on climate action as he resigns as MP - CBC  

Communities impacted by climate map - Elbows Up for Climate

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Our Associate Producer is Rachel Schneider.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Climate change can feel frightening and uncertain - so much so, in fact, that sometimes hope can feel like an act of denial. But hope isn’t denial: it’s a recognition that we still have choices.

In our new Cities 1.5 limited miniseries, Oh, Canada: Solutions for the Climate Crisis, we’re speaking to Canadians from coast, to coast, to coast, who are turning those choices into action. Featuring voices from politics, academia, activism, and municipal leadership - including Leader of Canada’s NDP Avi Lewis, Otipemisiwak Métis Government's Provincial Secretary of Women, Gender Equity & Inclusion Gabrielle Blatz, former Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault, Executive Director of Re.Climate Amber Bennett, Executive Director of the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) Ian Mauro, Assistant Professor of Fire Ecology at University of British Columbia Okanagan in the Center for Wildfire Coexistence Dr. Jen Baron, writer and public policy researcher Seth Klein, and mayors from Yellowknife, Waterloo, Clearwater, Jasper, and more - we’ll be exploring the science, politics, and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis across Canada.

Oh, Canada: Solutions for the Climate Crisis is supported by Elbows Up for Climate, The C40 Centre, and the University of Toronto Press. This 6-part deep dive into the climate crisis through the lens of Canadians fighting to write a different story debuts on October 6, 2026, so make sure you tune in - you won’t want to miss it.

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Our Associate Producer is Rachel Schneider.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

What if there are reasons to hope for a more resilient climate future in your own backyard - right here in Canada? Well, that’s exactly the question we’re asking in our new miniseries, Oh, Canada: Solutions for the Climate Crisis. 

At Cities 1.5, we’re proud to join forces with voices around the world for the 2026 #BeHope Podcast Takeover. We’re coming together to prove that even in challenging times, hope remains a real force for progress - and we can all be part of it. This special preview features guests from our upcoming series speaking on what keeps them going in the mission to end climate breakdown.

Oh, Canada: Solutions for the Climate Crisis is supported by Elbows Up for Climate, The C40 Centre, and the University of Toronto Press. This 6-part deep dive into the climate crisis through the lens of Canadians fighting to write a different story debuts on October 6, 2026, so make sure you tune in - you won’t want to miss it.

Featured guests:

Avi Lewis, Leader of Canada’s NDP

Amber Bennet, Executive Director of Re.Climate

Steven Guilbeault, former Minister of the Environment

Ian Mauro, Executive Director of the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS)

Dr Jen Baron,  Assistant Professor of Fire Ecology at University of British Columbia Okanagan in the Center for Wildfire Coexistence

Gabrielle Blatz, Otipemisiwak Métis Government's Provincial Secretary of Women, Gender Equity & Inclusion

Richard Ireland, Mayor of Jasper, AB

Ben Hendrickson, Mayor of Yellowknife, NWT

Dorothy McCabe, Mayor of Waterloo, ON

Merlin Blackwell, Mayor of Clearwater, BC

Seth Klein,  Author of A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency and “Seth Klein / Emergency Measures” on Substack

Links:

How Pakistan’s people-led solar boom is easing impact of Middle East energy crisis - The Guardian

Key energy data for Pakistan - Ember

Electrons In, Hydrocarbons Out: Pakistan’s Quest for Economic and Resource Efficiency - Renewables First

Australia’s renewables transition is well under way – but meeting its 2030 target will be ‘extremely challenging’ - The Guardian

Clean Energy Australia 2026 report - Clean Energy Council

China's renewable energy boom has its own challenges. Here's what we can learn - World Economic Forum

Yes, China has embraced renewables – but don’t call it a transition, expert says - The Harvard Gazette

The European Green Deal - official EU website

European Climate Law - official EU website

2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy - Government of Canada website

Canada's 2030 climate target far out of reach, according to federal data - CBC News

‘No way’ Canada can meet its 2030 climate target, researchers say - The Toronto Star

Vingroup proposes scrapping LNG-powered plant plan for renewables amid Iran war, document shows - Reuters

Quezon community, RE backers claim ‘victory’ against LNG - Business Mirror

‘Science under attack’: Top climate scientist Kate Marvel explains why she resigned from NASA - Scientific American

Kate Marvel website

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Our Associate Producer is Rachel Schneider.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

When the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, local leaders found themselves thrust onto the frontlines of both military defense and environmental catastrophe.  Coupled with untold amounts of human suffering, the war has inflicted deep environmental scars - from the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam to the corrosion of municipal water pipes - which many Ukrainian officials refer to as "ecocide." Yet, amidst daily bombardment, energy blackouts, and severed water supplies, city leaders and residents are demonstrating what true urban resilience looks like on the ground.

In this special bonus episode, we hear from a mayor who refused to abandon his city when it was encircled in the early days of the war; a man who led the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv through eight months of near-daily missile attacks. Despite ongoing attacks,the city is using decentralisation, solar-powered infrastructure, microgrids, and real-time data analysis to keep critical municipal services running during wartime. These strategies keeping cities resilient against military aggression also offer vital lessons for surviving climate impacts globally, as well as forming the bedrock of plans to rebuild in a way that benefits people and planet, when the violence finally stops. 

Featured guest:

Oleksandyr Senkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv

If listeners would like to further support Ukraine, the Cities 1.5 team encourages you to follow this link: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/57852?v2=true

Media: 

https://www.itv.com/news/2022-03-08/ukrainians-will-fight-until-last-person-is-left-and-ammunition-runs-out

Links:

For the Russians to cut off Ukraine's access to the sea, they must go through Mykolaiv. 'People are ready to fight until the last ammo,' said its mayor - Business Insider

Report on the Human Rights Situation in Ukraine, 1 December 2024 – 31 May 2025 - Ukraine OHCHR

A Preliminary Environmental Risk Assessment of the Kakhovka Dam Flooding - Pax for Peace

Ukraine: Rebuilding Mykolaiv's water supply - Danish Refugee Council

First Person: Ukrainian ‘city of heroes’ plans post-invasion future - UN News

BBS investigation: the Russians blew up the water pipeline to Mykolaiv on purpose. They are not allowing repair crews - Babel Ukraine

Water for Mykolaiv - Nova Ukraine

Decentralized Energy: A Pathway Toward Local Security and Ukraine’s Green Recovery - Heinrich Böll Stiftung

A Calibrated Crime. Mykolaiv government building missile strike - Truth Hounds

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Our Associate Producer is Rachel Schneider.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

As the climate crisis accelerates, our information ecosystem has become a critical battleground. Coordinated climate disinformation - driven by fossil fuel interests - is increasingly targeting cities and urban leaders to stall transformative policy and manufacture public doubt.

In this special Hot Takes episode recorded on the ground at London Climate Action Week, host David Miller examines how cities are actively defending information integrity and reclaiming the narrative. We look at why proactive storytelling and pre-bunking are far more powerful than traditional fact-checking, how mayors serve as vital trusted messengers in noisy digital spaces, and the stark reality of how disinformation threatens life and resilience on the frontlines of Ukraine. We will also be exploring how the C40 Centre itself incubated the recently launched City Climate Facts that aims to support cities in fighting disinformation, and cleaning up our urban information ecosystem.

Featured guests:

Adam Brzezinski, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science

Chiara Morfeo, Senior Manager for Research and Communications at the C40 Centre

Oleksandr Senkevich, Mayor of Mykolaiv, Ukraine

To follow more of C40 and the C40 Centre’s work combating climate disinformation, please check out the following links: 

The C40 Centre’s climate communications insights - Substack

Previous episodes of Cities 1.5 covering different aspects of climate disinformation 

Overview of C40’s disinformation work.

If you would like a copy of the C40 disinformation and extreme weather playbook - available in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese - please request one through the form at the bottom of this link. 

Links:

Big Oil's Real Agenda on Climate Change - InfluenceMap website

Combatting Climate Disinformation: Comparing the Effectiveness of Correction Placement and Type - Environmental Communication

Inoculation Theory as a Design Approach to Game-Based Misinformation Interventions - Taylor & Francis

Disinformation in the City: Response Playbook - University of Melbourne & German Marshall Fund

Disinformation in the Service of War - Center for European Policy Analysis

Starving the Hydra: How Digital Platforms Profit from Misinformation - Center for Countering Digital Hate

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Our Associate Producer is Rachel Schneider.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

As the AI boom drives an unprecedented rush for computing power, cities face a critical question: how do we support digital expansion, without derailing net-zero climate goals? Left unregulated, data centers can consume staggering amounts of energy and water, threaten to destabilise power grids, strain local resources, and alienate communities. But it doesn’t have to be like this: city leaders are stepping up to demand both climate-friendly solutions and accountability for big tech. In this Hot Take, we explore how local leaders are moving to prevent a digital “wild west” through international collaboration. We examine the launch of the Global Urban Data Centers Pact - a landmark commitment from 41 mayors across six continents, representing 90 million people - which aims to enforce clean energy mandates, water stewardship, and tangible community benefits for future data center development.

Featured guests:

Hannah Daly, Professor of Sustainable Energy at University College Cork

Kate Gallego, Mayor of Phoenix, United States of America

Nick Reece, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Australia

Links:

The Cloud vs the Climate? Lessons from Ireland on the data centre debate - Cities 1.5 podcast

Wyoming tightens wastewater rules after Meta datacenter contractor flushed contaminated water - The Guardian

Mayors from around the world unite in call for sustainable urban data centres - C40 website

Urban Data Centres - C40 website

Data centers and the climate landscape: An actionable resource for US mayors - C40 Knowledge Hub

Thirsty for power and water, AI-crunching data centers sprout across the West - Stanford University

Stockholm, Sweden : Heat recovery from data centres - EU Covenant of Mayors

Inside the C40 World Mayors Summit: The battle for cities, truth, and a fossil-free future at COP30 and beyond - Cities 1.5, featuring Lord Mayor Nick Reece on data centres

Seizing the opportunity to do data centres right - Climate Council

Australian government announces plan for new AI and data centre regulations - Architecture AU

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Our Associate Producer is Rachel Schneider.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

The winds of change are blowing through the world’s maritime hubs…despite some national governments’ efforts to the contrary. While the shipping industry carries 90% of global trade, it also leaves a heavy carbon trail in its wake. In this episode of Cities 1.5, we explore the high-stakes transformation of our global ports: once seen as industrial hotspots of pollution, these urban harbours are emerging as the front lines of the green transition. We dive into the groundbreaking "Green Shipping Corridors" that are linking sustainable cities, and the bold shift toward zero-emission fuels. From local air quality to global supply chains, discover how cities are turning the tide on emissions and steering the industry toward a 1.5°C future. It’s time to rethink the horizon: clearer skies and smoother sailing ahead.

Featured guests: 

Eric Garcetti, C40 Ambassador for Global Climate Diplomacy and former Mayor of Los Angeles

Alisa Kreynes, Director of Ports and Shipping at C40

Featured clips:

The Shipping Forecast - BBC Radio 4

Global shipping emissions vote on a knife edge at IMO - BBC Business Today

Links:

Greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from global shipping, 2016–2023 - The International Council on Clean Transportation

A guide to the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework - Global Maritime Forum

Landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions in tatters after US pressure - BBC News

Ports and Shipping - C40 Knowledge Hub

Green shipping corridors programme - C40 Cities website

From Los Angeles to Shanghai, the port cities collaborating to cut shipping emissions - Reuters

Green Ports Forum - C40 Cities website

Why should we talk about a 'just and equitable' transition for shipping? - UN Trade and Development

Rescuing shipping's Net Zero Framework - Climate Analytics

Cities take the global stage to showcase climate action at the IMO for the first time - C40 Cities website

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Our Associate Producer is Rachel Schneider.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

From fossil fuel lobbying to coordinated political disinformation campaigns, vested interests have built a profitable disinformation infrastructure designed to spread confusion, polarize debate, and exhaust the public. The good news is that the world is waking up. For the first time in the history of the COP, a Declaration on Information Integrity was agreed upon, with governments committing to address climate disinformation and promote accurate, evidence-based information globally.

But we need to go further upstream - instead of simply fighting falsehoods, we need to build ecosystems where truth can take root and flourish. In this episode, we look to Brazil and speak to an individual who was integral in bringing information integrity both to COP and the international agenda. She makes the case for cities as one of the most powerful forces in reclaiming the narrative, building the infrastructure of truth from the ground up - one community at a time.

Featured guest: 

Thais Lazzeri, Investigative Journalist and Founder of FALA

Links:

Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change - UNESCO

Integrity Information Observatory - Oii

Mentiro Tem Preco (Lies Have a Price)

Climate Information Integrity

5 Million Acts for Truth - FALA

Tomorrow is today - YouTube (Portuguese)

500 Grams of Life - Thais Lazzeri (Portuguese) 

‘Democracy on the line’: Brazil’s election and the Bolsonaro disinformation ecosystem - Columbia Journalism Review

Environmental and Climatic Disinformation in Northern Brazil: Dynamics and Impact in the Context of COP-30 - Heinrich Boll Stiftung

Environmental journalism and the struggle against disinformation in Brazil - Frontiers in Communication

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Our Associate Producer is Rachel Schneider.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

As our lives become increasingly digital, the infrastructure powering them is sparking a global debate: we need data centres, but at what cost to the climate and our access to energy? These massive facilities are the backbone of everything from streaming to AI, yet they consume staggering amounts of electricity and water, often straining local grids and and in some cases, threatening to derail decarbonisation efforts.

In this episode of Cities 1.5, we explore how Ireland became the "canary in the coalmine" for this issue. With data centres projected to consume nearly 30% of the nation’s electricity by 2030, the Irish experience serves as a critical warning – and a roadmap – for cities worldwide. We examine the tension between economic ambition and climate mandates, questioning how urban leaders can manage the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure without derailing net-zero goals. Join us as we dive into the lessons learned from the frontlines of the data centre boom and what they mean for the future of sustainable cities.

Featured guest: 

Professor Hannah Daly, Professor of Sustainable Energy at University College Cork

Links:

Ireland’s data centre boom is driving up fossil fuel dependence - The Irish Times, by Professor Hannah Daly

Data Centres Metered Electricity Consumption 2024 - Central Statistics Office

Energy for who? Data centres and the grid - Friends of the Earth Ireland

How Big Tech wrote secrecy into EU law to hide environmental toll - The Journal Investigates

What Ireland’s Data Center Crisis Means for the EU’s AI Sovereignty Plans -  AlgorithmWatch

Ireland’s data centre policy reset: The end of the blanket moratorium -  KPMG Ireland

Google’s Dublin data centre blocked amid energy usage concerns - Tech Monitor

Data Centres Ireland – Energy, Growth and the Grid Debate - Enable Research

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Our Associate Producer is Rachel Schneider.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/