Small But Mighty: Edge Cities That Are Leading the Way for Climate Change

According to the UN, cities generate up to 75 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions - so we know that cities are the key to unlocking many of our much-needed climate solutions. While larger cities with greater population densities have bigger ecological footprints, emissions are being generated by all cities from around the world; small but mighty cities have a critical role to play too. We all share the same coastlines, and we all breathe the same air - and it might be time to look to smaller cities who are leading the way on climate change to see what else we can be doing.

Featured guests:

Mayor Melissa Blaustein was elected to the city council of Sausalito in 2020, and has been Mayor since 2023. Since becoming Mayor, she has pushed for Sausalito’s own climate action plan - which is vitally important for cities of any size, especially when you’re as close to the ocean as Sausalito. From addressing sea level rise, to electrifying the city’s transportation operations, Sausalito is proving beyond a doubt that they can keep up with their C40 neighbour, San Francisco.

Mayor Michael Cahill was elected as the 34th mayor of the City of Beverly, Massachusetts in 2013. Beverly might be a smaller, quieter suburb to the C40 city of Boston, but the city is driving some big sustainable ideas: from harnessing solar and geothermal technology, to petitioning the state to support much-needed green infrastructure, they’re another shining example of a small but mighty C40 neighbour who is leading the way on city climate action.

Links for this episode:

Better together: How cities can collaborate for faster, more effective climate action

Sausalito Low Emissions Action Plan

Redlining’s Legacy Of Inequality: Low Homeownership Rates, Less Equity For Black Households

Fossil gas research

Solar power in Beverly

Solved by David Miller

Climate Mayors Network

Image credit: © Lizzie Lomax - C40

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Cities 1.5 is a podcast by University of Toronto Press and is produced in association with the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy.
Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/