Routledge Cities and Climate Change (Routledge Critical Introductions to Urbanism and the City)

Climate change is one of the most significant global challenges facing the world today. It is also a critical issue for the world’s cities. Now home to over half the world’s population, urban areas are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions and are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Responding to climate change is a profound challenge. A variety of actors are involved in urban climate governance, with municipal governments, international organisations, and funding bodies pointing to cities as key arenas for response. This book provides the first critical introduction to these challenges, giving an overview of the science and policy of climate change at the global level and the emergence of climate change as an urban policy issue. It considers the challenges of governing climate change in the city in the context of the changing nature of urban politics, economics, society and infrastructures. It looks at how responses for mitigation and adaptation have emerged within the city, and the implications of climate change for social and environmental justice. Drawing on examples from cities in the north and south, and richly illustrated with detailed case-studies, this book will enable students to understand the potential and limits of addressing climate change at the urban level and to explore the consequences for our future cities. It will be essential reading for undergraduate students across the disciplines of geography, politics, sociology, urban studies, planning and science and technology studies. Review "A very timely and valuable contribution providing an excellent insight into the twin global challenges of cities and climate change. Complex issues are presented with clarity underpinned by leading practice and evidence bringing the opportunities on the ground to life." Professor Barbara Norman, Foundation Chair, Urban and Regional Planning, at the Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra, Australia. "This book will be essential reading not only to those concerned about climate change, but also to everyone interested in the future of cities around the globe. Harriet Bulkeley’s focus on cities brings the complex social struggles about what climate change means in an everyday context and how to respond down to a level where the stakes, the options and the choices become graspable and immediately relevant." Dr Peter H. Feindt, Reader in Environmental Policy, Cardiff University, UK. About the Author Harriet A. Bulkeley is Professor of Geography, Energy and Environment in the Department of Geography, and Deputy Director of the Durham Energy Institute, Durham University, UK. Her research interests are in the nature and politics of environmental governance and focus on climate change and urban sustainability.