Climate change is now widely recognised as one of the paramount environmental challenges of our time. As a so-called global issue, the social and political response to climate change has traditionally been seen as a matter for international negotiations and the politics of national governments, transnational corporations and non-governmental organisations. However, over the past two decades it has become clear that climate change is an equally vital urban issue – as centres of population and economic activity, cities are thought to contribute significantly to overall emissions of greenhouse gases on the one hand, and to be vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on the other. Numerous municipal governments, the transnational networks they have formed, and other urban actors, including the business and community sectors, have mobilised to respond to climate change through the city. The significance and potential importance of the urban response to climate change has now become recognised by a range of international organisations and national governments as an “urgent agenda” (World Bank 2010). What are we to make of this phenomenon, of climate change as an urban issue? In this talk Harriet Bulkeley will explain that the coming of climate change to the city poses three critical questions for the research and policy community: questions of response; questions of justice; and questions of meaning. About the Speaker: Harriet Bulkeley is a Professor of Geography, Durham University. Her research focuses on environmental governance and the politics of climate change, energy and sustainable cities. Harriet has undertaken commissioned research for the European Commission, UN-Habitat and the World Bank and was one of 180 social scientists included in the international Clarivate Analytics/Thompson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers list. For more information click here.
Respondent: Robyn Dowling, Associate Dean Research, Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney
Chair: David Schlosberg, Co-Director, Sydney Environment Institute, University of Sydney
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