Every year since its establishment in 1970, Earth Day aims to bring into focus not only the increasingly threatening effects of climate change but also highlight the effective measures and adaptation efforts that can improve the quality of our environment. This year’s event comes after a report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in March, which presented another warning on the magnitude of changes produced by human-induced global warming and its impact on people and ecosystems. The same report does offer some hopeful prospects as well, showing that adaptation measures can build resilience, but those urgent systemwide transformations are needed to secure a net-zero future. In response to these findings, the 2023 Earth Day is focused on the theme of “Investing in Our Planet,” as an encouragement for governments, institutions, businesses, and civil society to accelerate the change. Read on to discover several citywide initiatives aligned with these objectives of building resilience and a more sustainable future through legislation, civic involvement, and innovative systems.
Venice Finalizes the MOSE System to Protect the City from Rising Sea Levels
After 50 years in the making, Venice has finalized MOSE, a barrier system created to protect the historic city from the threat of rising sea levels. MOSE’s walls, costing 5 billion euros, represent Italy’s technical ingenuity in the fight against climate change, but the long implementation time also puts into focus the ongoing threat, as the projections they were built to withstand are beginning to be outstripped. Now that the barriers are completely functional, experts warn that the next challenge will be to find times to keep them down, in order to maintain the natural exchange of waters between the Venetian lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. News via The New York Times.
France Approves Legislation to Require All Large Car Parks to Be Covered by Solar Panels
France has approved a new law requiring all large car parks to be covered by solar panels, as the French government estimated that the measure could potentially generate up to 11 gigawatts of power. The legislation, approved by the Senate in November 2022, will apply to existing and new car parks with space for at least 80 vehicles. The owners of car parks measuring between 80 and 400 spaces have 5 years to comply, while larger operators are given 3 years. Politicians are also examining the possibility of extending the measure to build solar farms on the empty land by motorways and railways. News via The Guardian.
Continuing their efforts to fight climate change, the European Commission has also approved France’s initiative to ban short-haul domestic flights in France for trips that could take less than 2.5 hours of travel by train. According to RPRA, the legislation was first proposed by France’s Citizens’ Convention on Climate, a citizens’ assembly focused on finding ways to reduce their country’s carbon emissions.
Los Angeles, US, Mandates That New Buildings Be Constructed to Use All-Electric Energy
The city of Los Angeles, United States, has passed a policy directing that new buildings within city limits must be designed to use all-electric energy, thus limiting the expansion of local gas infrastructure. The community-driven initiative has made Los Angeles the largest Californian city and second largest in the country to mandate a definitive shift from fossil fuels in new construction. According to NRDC, community-driven research on the impact of this measure on workers, renters, and low-income residents defined a set of energy justice priorities to frame the official launch of the building decarbonization policy process. Nearly 70 other Californian cities, along with other major American and European cities, have implemented similar building codes in an effort to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new constructions and major renovation projects.
Grenoble France, the 2022 European Green Capital, Pioneers Climate Mitigation Initiatives
In 2022, the European Union named the city of Grenoble, France, the EU Green Capital. The city is the first French local authority to adopt a climate plan, with targets to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 75% by 2026 compared to 2017 levels and create a low emission zone. The city is also a waste challenge framework and a map of local reuse solutions to encourage residents to repair and reuse more items. The city officials are also implementing soft mobility systems like the citywide carpool network, bike highways, and a municipal school for bike safety education. The efforts are focused on participatory climate solutions, involving the citizens in the process and turning Grenoble into a leading research city. This year, the Estonian city of Tallin has taken over the title, in recognition of its systemic approach to green governance and interlinked strategic goals reflecting the ideals of the European Green Deal.
