Community-Led Strategies Can Help Advance Equitable Clean Energy Investments

Growing up in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts, Roxana Ayala experienced firsthand social, economic, and environmental injustices. One of the most polluted places in California, Watts suffers from cumulative environmental burdens. These environmental hazards are evident in the Alameda Corridor, a 20-mile-long freight line responsible for air pollution, and a Superfund site adjacent to the local public high school. The pollution is one reason the residents of Watts live 10 fewer years on average than those residing in nearby affluent neighborhoods. Just by living there, her life expectancy was likely reduced.

DOE Delivers Building Energy Efficiency Analysis in Record Time

National building energy codes that prioritize energy efficiency may help curb climate change, but they can also be notoriously difficult for states and cities to adopt.

This year, as part of an expanded effort to support states and cities in adopting residential and commercial energy codes, the Building Energy Codes Program under the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Office released a compilation of national and state cost-effectiveness reports, fact sheets, and technical briefs in conjunction with their official energy savings determinations.

Our Cities Are Getting Too Hot: A New Handbook Offers Guidance on Sustainable Cooling for Cities

A 2020 novel opens with a heat wave in Northern India that kills 20 million people. The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson is described by reviewers as the “novel we need” and “the book of the year.” What makes the opening chapter so devastating is that it is completely, utterly plausible—not just in some distant future, but today. A new Sustainable Cooling Handbook for Cities offers solutions to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Sara Neff on LendLease's Sustainability Leadership & ESG Commitments in the Americas

With residential and commercial buildings in California contributing roughly 25 percent of the state’s GHG emissions, decarbonizing the built environment represents an important pillar for achieving meaningful climate goals. TPR interviews Lendlease’s new Head of Sustainability in the Americas, Sara Neff, to update reader on the advantages of the Australian company’s global integrated business model and leadership in sustainable buildings. Here, Neff underscores the impact of ESG-minded investors in driving the market for sustainability, healthy living, and social equity practices.

Reasons to Be Hopeful: The Climate Solutions Available Now

The climate emergency is the biggest threat to civilisation we have ever faced. But there is good news: we already have every tool we need to beat it. The challenge is not identifying the solutions, but rolling them out with great speed.

Some key sectors are already racing ahead, such as electric cars. They are already cheaper to own and run in many places – and when the purchase prices equal those of fossil-fueled vehicles in the next few years, a runaway tipping point will be reached.