Home to the majority of the global human population, urban areas make an outsized contribution to carbon emissions. What can they do to reach net zero by the middle of the century?
More than half of the world's population currently live in cities, and by the middle of the century, 68% of all humans on the planet will live in urban areas. Yet already cities are responsible for 60% of our greenhouse gas emissions. As urban populations swell, so will their impact on the climate.
Cities are also among the places most likely to feel the acute impacts of climate change. The masses of concrete, metal and glass in urban areas can make them warmer than the surrounding landscape due to the way they absorb, emit and reflect heat. Water shortages and worsening air pollution threaten to make life in many cities unbearable.
More than half of the world's population currently live in cities, and by the middle of the century, 68% of all humans on the planet will live in urban areas. Yet already cities are responsible for 60% of our greenhouse gas emissions. As urban populations swell, so will their impact on the climate.
Cities are also among the places most likely to feel the acute impacts of climate change. The masses of concrete, metal and glass in urban areas can make them warmer than the surrounding landscape due to the way they absorb, emit and reflect heat. Water shortages and worsening air pollution threaten to make life in many cities unbearable.
With the world attempting to reach net zero by the middle of this century, what sources of energy could feasibly replace fossil fuels?
Sixteen miles (26km) off the windswept coast of northern Scotland, the future of renewable energy is taking shape. Rotating rhythmically in the breeze, the five colossal turbines of the Hywind Scotland wind farm look much like any other off-shore wind project, bar one major difference – they're floating.
While conventional offshore turbines sit atop metal and concrete towers fixed into the seabed, Hywind's turbines rest on buoyant steel keels that bob with the waves. Carefully balanced, they remain upright despite the undulating conditions. This simple sounding, yet devilishly complex design is changing the way green developers view offshore wind.
Sixteen miles (26km) off the windswept coast of northern Scotland, the future of renewable energy is taking shape. Rotating rhythmically in the breeze, the five colossal turbines of the Hywind Scotland wind farm look much like any other off-shore wind project, bar one major difference – they're floating.
While conventional offshore turbines sit atop metal and concrete towers fixed into the seabed, Hywind's turbines rest on buoyant steel keels that bob with the waves. Carefully balanced, they remain upright despite the undulating conditions. This simple sounding, yet devilishly complex design is changing the way green developers view offshore wind.