Geo-Engineering Cities Using White Roofs and Pavements

The long-term effect of increasing the albedo of urban areas (11 page pdf, Hashem Akbari, H Damon Matthews, Donny Seto, Environmental Research Letters, Apr. 12, 2012) Also discussed here: Resurfacing Urban Areas to Offset 150 Billion Tons of CO2 (ScienceDaily, Apr. 13, 2012) Today, we review a look at changing the albedo of urban areas [...]

A Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gases for Canada’s Capital

An Energy & Emissions Plan for Canada’s Capital Region (78 page pdf, City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau, National Capital Commission, Lead Consultant, HB Lanarc Consultants Ltd., Feb. 2012) Also discussed here: Presentation to Environment Committee on Choosing Our Future and “An Energy & Emissions Plan for Canada’s Capital Region”  (Bill Pugsley, Feb. 21, 2012) [...]

Car Addiction and Climate Change Mitigation

The implications of climate change for the future of the car (64 page pdf, Dr. Mayer Hillman, World Transport Policy and Practice, pages 18-29, Jan. 2012) Today, we review a thoughtful article and the need to stabilize climate change by reducing carbon fuel use, in the context of a global look at the future for [...]

Vulnerability of Public to Heat Waves

Evaluation of a Heat Vulnerability Index on Abnormally Hot Days: an Environmental Public Health  (29 page pdf, Colleen E. Reid, Jennifer K. Mann, Ruth Alfasso, Paul B. English, Galatea C. King, Rebecca A. Lincoln, Helene G. Margolis, Dan J. Rubado, Joseph E. Sabato, Nancy L. West, Brian Woods, Kathleen M. Navarro, John R. Balmes, Environ [...]

Climate Change, Air Pollution and Corrosion of Buildings

Climate change impact on building surfaces and facades (12 page pdf, Terje Grøntoft, International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 2011) As more and more countries fail to meet the international agreements to reduce carbon emissions in a timely manner – either in terms of absolute emissions (China, USA and others) or per capita [...]

Heat Waves and Mortality in Korean Cities

The Impact of Heat Waves on Mortality in 7 Major Cities in Korea (34 page pdf, Ji-Young Son, Jong-Tae Lee, G. Brooke Anderson, Michelle L. Bell, Environ Health Perspect, Jan. 20, 2012) Today we review an analysis of the health impact of heat waves in Korea, the characteristics of these events and the most vulnerable [...]

Health Benefits from Mitigating Climate Change in Transportation

Health co-benefits of climate change mitigation – Transport sector (156 page pdf, Jamie Hosking, Pierpaolo Mudu, Carlos Dora, Health Impact Assessment, World health Organization, Dec., 2011) Today the focus is on a report issued by the World Health Organization in connection with the Climate Change  Conference held at Durban, South Africa. The report examines the [...]

Action on Health Impacts of Climate Change

Adapting to health impacts of climate change: a study of UNFCCC Annex I parties (10 page pdf, A C Lesnikowski, J D Ford, L Berrang-Ford, J A Paterson, M Barrera2 and S J Heymann, Environmental Research Letters, Oct. 31, 2011) The focus today is on how Annex 1 states (members of the OECD and former [...]

Is there a Link between Climate Warming and Hospital Infections?

Seasonal and Temperature-Associated Increases in Gram-Negative Bacterial Bloodstream Infections among Hospitalized Patients ( 6 Page pdf, Michael R. Eber1, Michelle Shardell, Marin L. Schweizer, Ramanan Laxminarayan, Eli N., Perencevich, PLoS ONE, Sep. 26, 2011) Today’s review summarizes analysis of the incidence of bloodstream infections in hospitals with higher outside air temperatures. The results indicate a [...]

Urban Heat Islands, White Roofs and Climate Change

Effects of Urban Surfaces and White Roofs on Global and Regional Climate (Abstract, Mark Z. Jacobson, John E. Ten Hoeve, Journal of Climate, Sep. 12, 2011) From the meteorological modelling community comes an article today examines the significance of urban heat islands as a factor in climate change- turns out that it is not.  It [...]

Roundabouts as a Strategy to Improve Air Quality

Modern Roundabouts, Global Warming, and Emissions Reductions: Status of Research, And Opportunities for North America  (16 page pdf, Tony Redington, Canadian Transportation Research Forum,  May 2001) The focus today is on how roundabouts can and are being used as a tool to reduce vehicle emissions at intersections compared to the use of traffic lights. The [...]

The Cost of Climate Change for the Health of Canadians

Paying The Price: The Economic Impacts of Climate Change for Canada (Ch. 5 Human Health) (168 page pdf, National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, Sep. 2011) Today we review a a significant report from Canada’s National Round Table on the Environment and Economy that puts an added cost of 1-10 billion dollars [...]

Climate Change, Air Pollution and Health in 21st Century

Climate Change Set to Increase Ozone-Related Deaths Over Next 60 Years, Scientists Warn (Science Daily, Sep. 27, 2011) Today’s review post has a broad focus on the impact of climate change on health and, in particular, ozone-related deaths  in some European countries which may increase by 14% in the next 50 years. To see Key [...]

Is Urban Intensification the Best Way to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Dense downtown living more carbon intense due to higher consumption: a case study of Helsinki (10 page pdf, Jukka Heinonen, Riikka Kyr¨o and Seppo Junnila, Environ. Res. Lett., Sep. 26, 2011) Today’s review article (partly) turns on its head the assumption by urban planners that intensification of the urban population is a worthy objective from [...]

Impacts of Climate Change on Indoor Air Quality and Health

Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health (in brief) (4 page pdf, source document is 348 pages, Committee on the Effect of Climate Change on Indoor Air Quality and Public Health; Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, June 2011) The report reviewed today is a summary of a major report on the kinds of [...]

Health Impacts of Future Heat Waves as a result of Climate Change

Projecting Future Heat-related Mortality under Climate Change Scenarios: A Systematic Review (43 page pdf, Cunrui Huang, Adrian Gerard Barnett, Xiaoming Wang, Pavla Vaneckova, Gerard FitzGerald, Shilu Tong, |Environmental Health Perspectives, Aug. 4, 2011) The focus of today’s review article is on the heat-related deaths likely under climate change scenarios that extend out 50 years. A [...]

Reaching Climate Stabilization by Reducing Non-CO2 emissions

Non-CO2 greenhouse gases and climate change (Abstract, S. A. Montzka, E. J. Dlugokencky & J. H. Butler, Nature 476, 43–50, Aug.4, 2011) Stabilizing climate change  requires reducing emissions from carbon fuels alone by almost 100%.  It is clear that even if the world found a way of doing this that it would not be achieved [...]

How Can Transportation Technology and Practices Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Technologies for Climate Change Mitigation: Transport Sector (250 page pdf, United Nations Environment Programme Risø Centre on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development, March 2011) The focus today is on a comprehensive guide to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transportation- either through improved technologies or in reducing travel with carbon consuming vehicles by such options as [...]

How does driving contribute to climate change?

The Role of Driving in Reducing GHG Emissions and Oil Consumption (45 page pdf, EMBARQ and the World Resources Institute, Jul. 6, 2011) The focus of today’s review is a report on how reductions in vehicle miles travelled (VMT), much more efficient automobile technology (double the mileage per gallon) and actions to reduce driving by [...]

Urban Form and Greenhouse Gas Reductions

An Assessment of Urban Form and Pedestrian and Transit Improvements as an Integrated GHG Reduction Strategy (117 page pdf, Dr. Lawrence D. Frank, Michael J. Greenwald, Sarah Kavage, Andrew Devlin, Washington State Department of Transportation, Apr. 1, 2011) Today’s article under review looks at transportation demand management in and around Seattle, Washington as a way [...]

Building Resilience in Cities Adapting to Climate Change

Financing the Resilient City- A demand driven approach to development, disaster risk reduction, and climate adaptation (48 page pdf, Jeb Brugmann, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, June 3, 2011) A pollution-free city facing change must adapt. Today’s focus is on a report from Resilient Cities: World Congress on cities and adaptation to climate change [...]

Urban Health Impacts of Climate Change and Air Pollution in Southern Ontario and Southern Quebec

Possible Impacts of Climate Change on Economic Losses and Health Care Costs due to Heat- and Air Pollution-related Premature Mortality in South-central Canada Using Downscaled Future Climate Scenarios (Abstract, Qian Li, Chad S. Cheng, Guilong Li, Heather Auld, Congress, Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, Victoria, June 2011) The key health impact report in 2005 for [...]

The Global Impacts of Vehicle Emissions on Climate Change

Climate, health, agricultural and economic impacts of tighter vehicle-emission standards (8 page pdf, Drew Shindell, Greg Faluvegi, Michael Walsh, Susan C. Anenberg, Rita Van Dingenen, Nicholas Z. Muller, Jeff Austin, Dorothy Koch and George Milly, Nature Climate Change, Mar. 29, 2011)   Today’s review article looks at the link between vehicle emission and climate change [...]

Does Better Urban Design Beat Better Car Design when it comes to Emissions?

Cities: A Smart Alternative to Cars: Creating compact communities—and eliminating the need to drive everywhere—may be the best way to slash greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles (Business Week, Feb. 11, 2008)   Today’s review articles focus on the reasons why curbing sprawl by developing compact communities lessens the need to drive and, as a result, [...]

Urban Vulnerability to Climate Change

Conceptualizing urban vulnerability to global climate and environmental change (Abstract, Patricia Romero Lankaoa, and Hua Qina, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Feb. 10, 2011)   The focus of the review article today is on the lack of action by many large cities world-wide. The author suggests that a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of urban [...]

Adapting to Climate Change in Australia

Climate Change- Science and Solutions for Australia (168 page pdf, Editors: Helen Cleugh, Mark Stafford Smith, Michael Battaglia, and Paul Graham, CSIRO, April 2011) The report reviewed today come from CSIRO, Australia’s lead agency for climate (and other areas of scientific research) which describes the adaptation needed for a range of climate impacts in this [...]

How Should Cities Plan to Reduce Health Impacts from Climate Change?

Preparing a People: Climate Change and Public Health (6 page pdf, Catherine M. Cooney, Environ Health Perspect 119:a166-a171, Apr.1, 2011)   Today’s focus is on the need for cities to plan in advance for the health impacts from climate change that goes beyond the stress from heat waves which have been well documented in North [...]

Vulnerability of Communities to Climate Change Impacts

Assessing the Impacts of Local Knowledge and Technology on Climate Change Vulnerability in Remote Communities (29 page pdf, Christopher Bone, Lilian Alessa, Mark Altaweel, Andrew Kliskey and Richard Lammers, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2011, Mar. 4, 2011)   The article reviewed today looks at the vulnerability of a community to environmental change, [...]

Climate Change, Ragweed and Allergies

Recent warming by latitude associated with increased length of ragweed pollen season in central North America (Abstract, Lewis Ziskaa,, Kim Knowlton, Christine Rogers, Dan Dalan, Nicole Tierney, Mary Ann Elder, Warren Filley, Jeanne Shropshire, Linda B. Ford, Curtis Hedberg, Pamela Fleetwood, Kim T. Hovanky, Tony Kavanaugh, George Fulford, Rose F. Vrtis, Jonathan A. Patz, Jay [...]

Abnormal Cold Periods and Pollution Build -Up

Urban NO2 and NO pollution in relation to the North Atlantic Oscillation NAO (Abstract, M. Grundström, H.W. Linderholm, J. Klingberg and H. Pleijel, Atmospheric Environment, February 2011)   Just as El Nino and La Nina have 6-10 year cycles and result in widespread global anomalies such as thaws, floods and droughts, the somewhat and more [...]

Urban Emissions of Greenhouse Gases

Cities and greenhouse gas emissions: moving forward (22 page pdf, Environment and Urbanization, Jan. 10, 2011) Also discussed here: New Study: Suburbs Can Pollute More than Cities (The Infrastructurist, Jan. 31, 2011) The article under review today analysed urban and suburban emissions of greenhouse gases based on a detailed study of Canada’s largest city, Toronto. [...]

Health Impacts of Climate Change in China

Climate Change and Human Health in China (2 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect, Feb.1, 2011) Today’s review article looks at the health impacts from climate change in the world’s most populous country. It notes that the link between air pollution and heat waves accelerates health impacts, but that this may be reduced though adaptation to [...]

Why Location is Important in Heat Waves

Heat Effects Are Unique: Mortality Risk Depends on Heat Wave, Community Characteristics (1 page, Environ Health Perspect., Feb.1, 2011) Also discussed here: Heat Waves, Climate Change and Urban Mortality (Pollution Free Cities, Jul. 30, 2010) Key Quotes: “The investigators estimated a 3.74% increase in average daily risk of nonaccidental death during the heat waves compared [...]

Short-Lived Pollutants and Climate Change

Tackling short-lived pollutants offers big benefits (Options, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis/IIASA, Nov. 2010) Also discussed here: Climate Change Strategy to Curtail Short-lived Pollutants (Pollution Free Cities, Dec. 15, 2010) And here: The Impact of Short-Lived Pollutants on Arctic Climate (25 page pdf, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Norway, Jan. 19, 2009) And here: [...]

Public Health Impacts from Climate Change

Climate change prompts debate among experts about spread of tropical diseases (Washington Post, Jan. 10, 2011) Also discussed here: Is Global Warming Harmful to Health? (7 page pdf, Scientific American, Aug. 2000) In addition to the growing public health risks from vehicle emissions in cities, climate warming allows the spread of infectious diseases carried by [...]

Why You Should Never Google “Climate Change”

The Psychology of Climate Change (Sustainability Forum, Sep.30, 2010) The article under review today caught my eye with its use of a modified Venn diagram (note the red ball’s stability on and the curved line). These diagrams seem to allow for a better understanding of an issue than the simpler and more usual pros and [...]

Health Impacts from Climate Change – a Canadian Perspective

Image by 416style via Flickr Climate Warming Impacts Health (Canadian Geographic, Oct. 2010) Key Quotes: “climate change could be the biggest global health threat of the 21st century.” [Lancet, 2009] “The alert, sent out by the Extreme Heat Wave Portal to public health and emergency officials across Quebec, was generated by software developed by Gosselin’s [...]

What Drives Pubic Reaction to Climate Change?

Image via Wikipedia The Perception Factor: Climate Change Gets Personal (6 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect 118:a484-a489, Nov.1, 2010) Despite the fact that “up to 98% of the climate researchers most actively publishing agree with the tenets of anthropogenic climate change outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change” , the countries most responsible for [...]

Climate Change Strategy to Curtail Short-lived Pollutants

To Fight Climate Change, Clear the Air (New York Times, OpEd, Nov.28,2010) On the eve of yet another international climate conference (COP 16 in Cancún, Mexico) the author of today’s review article made a good point: instead of waiting more decades for countries to agree on what steps to take to reduce carbon emissions through [...]

Role of Cities in Post-Kyoto Climate Change Financing

  Cities in a Post-2012 Climate Policy Framework (96 page pdf, ICLEI Global Reports, 2010) Also discussed here: ICLEI report on ‘Cities in a Post-2012 Climate Policy Framework’ (UCT Centre of Criminology, May 10, 2010) And here: World Mayors Council on Climate Change The report reviewed today examines the role of cities in combating climate [...]

Risk of Dying from Heat Waves in US Cities

Heatwaves in the United States: Mortality Risk During Heatwaves and Effect Modification by Heatwave Characteristics in 43 US Communities (41 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect, November 18, 2010) Also discussed here: Heat Waves, Climate Change and Urban Mortality (Pollution Free Cities, Jul. 30, 2010) The article reviewed today reports on a comprehensive study of heat [...]

Greening Cities with Immigrants

Image via Wikipedia From a “Green Farce” to a Green Future – Refuting False Claims About Immigrants and the Environment (21 page pdf, Center for American Progress, Oct. 2010) Immigration is a sensitive political issue in many countries, particularly in the report reviewed today which focuses on the situation in the USA.  The report challenges [...]

Reporting Climate Change – Carbon Footprints for Cities

Carbon Disclosure Project – The Case for City Disclosure(24 page pdf, Accenture, Carbon Disclosure Project, Nov. 2010) Also discussed here: CDP Pushes Cities to Disclose Their Climate Impact (Triple Pundit, Nov. 2, 2010) Cities are now the home for more than 50% of the world’s population (predicted to rise to 60 percent by 2030, and [...]

Going Carbon Neutral in Canadian Cities

Getting to Carbon Neutral: A Guide for Canadian Municipalities (176 page pdf, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Sustainable Infrastructure Group, University of Toronto, May 5, 2010) Also discussed here: Carbon Competitive Cities (Toronto and Region Conservation) And here: Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change TRCA Action Plan for The Living City (30 page pdf, Toronto [...]

Living Planet City

Living Planet City How Green Energy can work for your City – from World Wildlife Federation

How Urbanization, Growth and Aging Affect Climate Change

Global demographic trends and future carbon emissions (6 page pdf, Proceedings National Academy of Sciences, Oct. 11, 2010) Also discussed here: Population Bomb: new study discusses population impacts upon global warming emissions (Watts Up With That?, Oct. 12, 2010) The article reviewed today looks at the net impact on greenhouse gases and climate change between [...]

Heating Urban Areas with Geothermal Energy

Image via Wikipedia The geothermal potential of urban heat islands (7 page pdf, Environmental Research Letters, Volume 5, Number 4, Oct. 12, 2010) Geothermal energy sources have long been seen as a way of heating (and cooling) buildings, one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions when carbon fuels are used. The urban heat [...]

Cool Roofs

Image via Wikipedia White roofs promoted to save energy (Clarion Ledger, Sept. 17, 2010) Also discussed here: Cool Roof Rating Council Today’s key article describes the “cool roof” plan to reduce the energy (and emissions) used for air conditioning by reflecting sunlight, using light coloured roof surfaces. This simple method reduces as much emissions in [...]

Health Impacts From Climate Warming

Image via Wikipedia Health Scenarios for a Warming World (Environ Health Perspect 117: 1682–1689, Sep.1, 2010) Also discussed here: Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts over Decades to Millennia (243 page pdf, Committee on Stabilization Targets for Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Concentrations,  National Research Council – National Academy of Sciences, 2010) And here: Climate Stabilization [...]

Communicating Scientific Concepts

Image via Wikipedia Do Earth and Environmental Science Textbooks Promote Middle and High School Students ‘ Conceptual Development about Climate Change? Textbooks ‘ consideration of students’ misconceptions (Bulletin, American Meteorological Society, p. 889-898, Volume 91, Issue 7, July 2010) The article reviewed today looks at how climate change concepts are described in textbooks used by [...]