Book reviews and end-of-year thoughts

For some reason the end of the year gets people in reflective mode, so let me join the trend. This has been my fourth year in Australia and the switch of seasons still hasn’t fully settled in. Sun, 30+ degrees and long days does not feel like the end of the year to me. Sun,...

Making cities better: voluntary programs aren’t enough

Originally posted on: https://theconversation.com/making-cities-better-voluntary-programs-arent-enough-35535 Voluntary programs are all the rage. From ratcheting up cybersecurity to fighting obesity, firms in the United States and elsewhere voluntarily make pledges to do better than governmental regulation. Firms are rewarded for doing so. Governments may stall the introduction of mandatory regulation, clients may be more inclined to buy their goods, and investors...

Urban sustainability: Australian cities are leading the world … for now

Originally posted on: https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/australian-cities-please-keep-leading-the-world-in-governance-for-urban-sustainability-and-resilience,7199   Cities hold a significant potential to make a rapid change toward reduced resource consumption and waste production, greenhouse gasses included. Yet, an ongoing reliance on traditional building codes will however not result in the change needed. Innovative governance tools hold more potential. My new book highlights that Australian cities may lead the...

Cities need innovative governance tools and brave politicians to combat climate change

Originally posted on: http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/spinifex/cities-need-innovative-governance-tools-and-brave-politicians-to-combat-climate-change/70354 In our highly urbanised world, cities create problems as well as provide solutions. Many of humanity’s challenges exist at city level. Cities are an unsustainable source of resource depletion and pollution, and account for 40 per cent of global energy consumption and over 30 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, there...