By FORESIGHT Media Group
From FORESIGHT Climate & Energy, The Urban Report is a podcast that takes a close look at how cities around the world are transitioning to net-zero. Every two weeks, host Sean Carroll has in-de
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The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.
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While reducing emissions is a global goal, the means of doing so inevitably varies by region. Climate mitigation measures must adapt to diverse contexts, making one-size-fits-all solutions difficult to apply.
The built environment provides a particularly salient example of how drastically approaches can differ across the globe.
In Europe, it is not uncommon for people to live and work in buildings constructed many decades, even centuries, ago. The continents’ built heritage has a cultural and historical value which translates to older buildings being restored rather than demolished (with some notable exceptions).
This means that much of Europe’s efforts to cut emissions from its building stock revolves around renovation—improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings.
In Japan, by contrast, homes are generally constructed to last for only 30 years before being demolished and rebuilt. This approach of tearing down and rebuilding is partly due to the ever-present threat of destructive natural disasters facing Japan, such as earthquakes, but it is also tied to the culturally-important concept of impermanence.
As a result, the European approach of widespread renovations is less important in the Japanese context, as many buildings are not intended to be standing in a century’s time.
So, given their diversity, what can Europe and Japan teach one another about decarbonising the built environment? This episode of The Urban Report features a roundtable discussion with built environment experts hailing from Denmark and Japan.
Claus Mathiesen of Urban Partners, Signe Kongebro of Henning Larsen Architects, Jakob Norman-Hansen of BLOXHUB and noted Japanese architect Jun Mitsui join the show to examine the cultural differences in the approach to sustainability in the Nordic countries and Japan, and what it will take individually and collectively to meet our climate goals in the built environment.
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Carbon markets, where polluters pay for their carbon emissions, are being increasingly used by regulators to spur industry and rein in greenhouse gas emissions. In the European Union, plans are afoot to extend the bloc’s carbon trading system to road transport and buildings, with the expanded carbon market due to become fully operational in 2027.
However, many in the real estate sector have not yet factored the cost of carbon into the value of their properties, leading to concerns that energy-inefficient buildings are currently overvalued.
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) recently released a report on voluntarily embracing carbon pricing principles. For jurisdictions that do not have a state-run cap-and-trade system, a voluntary carbon market can allow companies to put a tangible cost on greenhouse gases. These funds can then be ring-fenced by the company to make climate-friendly improvements.
The report provides recommendations on how to start implementing a carbon price, which the authors say will help real estate companies align their financial and strategic interests with climate goals. Adopting a voluntary carbon price also ensures companies are kept from being caught flat-footed by new regulations.
Lisette van Doorn, the CEO of ULI, sat down with the Urban Report at the C Change Summit in Barcelona to discuss decarbonising the real estate sector, the implementation of voluntary carbon markets, and what Van Doorn would like to see from the EU’s new Energy and Housing commissioner.
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If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach Sean at his X account: Sean Carroll
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Freiburg is widely considered Germany’s environmental capital, earning the moniker “Green City” thanks to its sustainability principles. Mayor Martin Horn joins the Urban Report to discuss the city’s environmental ambitions and how Europe can avoid succumbing to “destructive frustration” in politics
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If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach Sean at his X account: Sean Carroll
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While much of climate legislation is agreed upon in national capitals or by international bodies like the EU, most of these laws are implemented in cities.
This means that local and regional governments need the right staff, with the right expertise, to ensure measures are achieved on time and to budget. However, cities often need help attracting and affording staff with the necessary skills to realise diverse climate legislation.
According to a 2022 study, some 214,000 new local employment positions will be needed to enact the EU’s 2030 green targets, at a cost of around €16 billion per year.
In a recent letter, several European city networks call on newly re-elected EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to change how local governments are financed, arguing there is a need for “an urgent rethink of Europe’s funding of cities and regions”.
Claire Roumet from Energy Cities, a local government network and a signatory to the letter, joins The Urban Report to discuss how local governments are funded, the difficulties cities have in attracting staff, and the future of climate policy from an urban perspective.
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If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach Sean at his X account: Sean Carroll
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A new transport plan in the Irish capital aims to cut car traffic by 40%. The move is part of a broader effort to make city living more pleasant by reallocating space to walking, cycling and public transport. Felijn Jose, a Green Party councillor in Dublin, joins The Urban Report to discuss the past, present and future of the city’s sustainable urban mobility
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If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach Sean at his X account: Sean Carroll
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Households across Europe are unable to pay their energy bills, leaving occupants afraid to cook warm meals or turn on the heating in cold weather. Louise Sunderland of the Regulatory Assistance Project joins The Urban Report to discuss the measures in place to tackle energy poverty
Millions of people across Europe are stuck in energy poverty and unable to afford or access adequate warmth, cooling, lighting, and energy to power appliances. As our weather becomes more extreme due to climate change, subjecting people to freezing or overly hot temperatures in buildings can have serious health consequences, particularly for the vulnerable or elderly.
The issue of energy poverty was exacerbated in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which saw the prices of gas and oil skyrocket. Many households suddenly found that they could no longer afford their energy bills.
However, energy poverty is a systemic issue, one that was ongoing before Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border and one which persists today. The European Union has proposed several measures to address the issue, from greenlighting subsidies for energy bills in times of crisis to making homes more energy efficient through renovations to helping people choose cleaner energy sources.
Louise Sunderland of the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) joins the Urban Report to discuss energy poverty, steps lawmakers are taking to tackle the phenomenon and what more we could do.
Interested in learning more about the topic? Read Louise Sunderland’s report for RAP on EU measures around energy poverty and check out this FORESIGHT article from Sean Carroll.
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If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach Sean at his X account: Sean Carroll
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It’s predicted that artificial intelligence and machine learning will fundamentally alter our societies in the coming decades. Rahul Chillar from Siemens Smart Infrastructure joins The Urban Report to discuss how these digital technologies can be used to cut energy usage and reduce emissions in our built environment
The impact artificial intelligence (AI) is set to have on the world has been compared to the introduction of electricity.
Commentators, technologists and engineers of all stripes believe we’re at the cusp of a technological revolution in which computer systems will be able to make decisions using human-like intelligence. This evolution could fundamentally reshape how we live and work.
This technology is already being deployed in a variety of sectors, including the built environment.
Building managers need to manage a range of processes—from heating and cooling to water and energy usage to waste management—to ensure smooth building operation.
But what if we could use AI to make buildings run more smoothly? What if our buildings could largely manage themselves by making autonomous decisions based on data analysis? And what if doing this would not just cut the costs of running a building but also lower its carbon footprint?
Engineering firm Siemens has introduced a platform that uses AI-based algorithms to make intelligent adjustments to building operations. This, Siemens says, can reduce energy consumption across the built environment.
Rahul Chillar of Siemens Smart Infrastructure joins The Urban Report to discuss the digitalisation of our building stock, the benefits and potential pitfalls of AI, and how technology can make buildings more efficient.
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If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach Sean at his X account: Sean Carroll
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Currently, around 40% of energy consumed in the EU is used in buildings, producing over a third of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.
The recently updated European Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) aims to improve these figures by making buildings less energy-intensive and more comfortable places to live and work. Its goal is to set the EU on a path to a fully decarbonised building stock by 2050.
Politically, the law faced a difficult passage, becoming a lightning rod for local fears about Brussels's power. In Italy, rumours abounded that the country’s much-cherished cultural heritage would be subject to incredibly costly renovations.
Now that the dust has settled and the law is in place, the focus has shifted from policy wrangling to implementation. Making the law a reality will require sustained political will, an array of knowledgeable construction professionals and adequate funding.
Eva Brardinelli, Buildings Policy Coordinator with Climate Action Network Europe, joins The Urban Report to discuss the next steps for the EPBD.
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If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach Sean at his X account: Sean Carroll
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While buildings aren’t particularly associated with personal health, homes and offices can have a significant impact on our well-being.
Living in a damp building prone to mould, a home with poor indoor air quality, or spending sustained periods in an uncomfortably hot office building can greatly affect occupants’ quality of life over time.
A recent analysis by VELUX and the Buildings Performance Institute Europe looked at the issue of “healthy buildings” in Europe. It found that renovating the building stock can have remarkable health benefits: occupants concentrate better, healthcare costs are lowered and negative mental health issues are improved.
Renovation also lowers buildings' climate impact, reducing energy consumption and making them more resilient to the effects of climate change.
Julie Kjestrup, Head of Policy and Thought Leadership with VELUX and President of Efficient Buildings Europe, joins the Urban Report to discuss how to make our buildings healthier, roll out EU legislation to boost building renovations and what the threat of wavering political support for the greening of our building stock means for the energy transition.
Enjoy the show and leave your thoughts below.
Download our award-winning app and enjoy access to all exclusive features. Click here to access on Apple or Android.
If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach Sean at his X account: Sean Carroll
Follow us on X at @Foresight_CE or email us at: [email protected].
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Download our award-winning app and enjoy access to all exclusive features. Click here to access on Apple or Android.
Across Europe, Green political parties are struggling to make electoral inroads, partially due to the perception that climate measures are financially burdensome for average people.
The notion that the environmental movement is championed by the well-off, those unbothered by electricity bills, carbon pricing or the cost of clean technology, has led to a political backlash. This was observed in the recent European Parliament elections, in which the Greens lost seats to the right of the political spectrum.
Ensuring a “just transition”, in which the costs of moving to a carbon-neutral world do not fall on the most vulnerable, is seen as a means to ensure greater societal buy-in for the climate movement.
The Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) has examined the just transition in eight global cities.
For two years, the IHRB investigated the impacts of built environment decarbonisation policies, including renovation programmes, retrofit subsidies and new energy-efficient buildings, determining whether these measures were alleviating inequality.
Giulio Ferrini, Head of Built Environment with the Institute for Human Rights and Business, joins The Urban Report to discuss climate action and equity in cities.
Enjoy the show and do leave your thoughts below!
Download our award-winning app and enjoy access to all exclusive features. Click here to access on Apple or Android.
If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach Sean at his X account: Sean Carroll
Follow us on X at @Foresight_CE or email us at: [email protected].
You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.