Regenerative Urban Development: a Roadmap to the City we need

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Abstract

Human impacts on the world’s landscapes are dominated by the ecological footprints of urban areas that now stretch across much of the globe. The World Future Council’s Regenerative Cities programme seeks to identify concepts and policies that help cities to harness their own regenerative capacity in order to reconcile the their ecological footprints with their geographical magnitude. The planning and management of new cities as well as the retrofitting of existing ones needs to undergo a profound paradigm shift. The urban metabolism must be transformed from its current operation as an inefficient and wasteful linear system into a resource-efficient and circular system.

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Towards the Regenerative City

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Abstract

The planning of new cities as well as the retrofitting of existing ones needs to undergo a profound paradigm shift. The urban metabolism must be transformed from its current operation as an inefficient and wasteful linear input-output system into a resource-efficient and regenerative, circular system. This report is about operationalising and implementing the concept of regenerative cities.

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Powering Africa through feed-in Tariffs

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Abstract

Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariffs (REFiTs) have been successful at increasing the use of renewable technologies worldwide. REFiTs encourage investment in renewable energy generation – from individual home owners and communities to big companies – by guaranteeing to buy and pay for all the electricity produced.

While the majority of these installations have occurred in industrialised countries, particularly Europe, the African continent has significant untapped renewable energy potential. REFiTs have the potential to transform energy systems and societies in profound and tangible ways.

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A Future for Gulf Cities

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Abstract

There is no better place to discuss the future for Gulf cities than in Dubai. This city shows us both what can be done and what must be done. Its growth from a small trading port on the edge of the desert to a global city in just a few decades shows the power of visionary leadership. This gives us hope that this city can, in the coming decades, mobilise the same vision and energy to regenerate itself into a pioneering post-modern city, using its resources and ingenuity to show how to win the coming battle for sustainability to which Maurice Strong refers.

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From vision to action: A workshop report on 100% Renewable Energies in European Regions

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Abstract

This report is a documentation of the parliamentary hearing hosted by the World Future Council, the Nordic Folkecenter and the Climate Service Center (CSC) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht. The workshop took place on October 4th to 7th 2012 at the Nordic Folkecenter in Hurup Thy, Denmark. It provided a platform for policy makers and experts to share knowledge, exchange ideas, develop strategies and build up networks in order to implement the 100% Renewable Energies (RE) target across European regions. The overall goal was to enable decision makers from European regions to undertake the necessary political action to realize the 100% RE goal by presenting political instruments and strategies that showed success elsewhere in Europe. In this multi -stakeholder dialogue, 40 representatives from national, regional and local governments as well as academia and civil society from 15 European countries and Canada participated.

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Regenerative Cities

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Abstract

Creating regenerative cities primarily means one thing: initiating comprehensive political, financial and technological strategies for an environmentally restorative relationship between cities and the ecosystems from which they draw resources for their sustenance. Introducing “Agropolis”, “Petropolis” and “Ecopolis” this WFC brochure by WFC Honorary Councillor Herbert Girardet explains how such a healthy relationship can be built.

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New Alliance established in Addis Ababa

Press release – for immediate release

Stakeholders come together to boost Renewable Energy in Africa

Addis Ababa, October 10th. Their aim is to speed up electrification and fight climate change at the same time: Representatives from various African countries today in Addis Ababa established the African Renewable Energy Alliance (AREA). In this Alliance, utilities, industry, policy-makers and the civil society will work together to boost the take-up of sustainable electrification and thermal power. Abel Didier Tella, Secretary General of union of African utilities UPDEA, which represents 54 private and public electricity producers and distributors in 43 African countries: “True exchange of information on new technologies as well as workable funding mechanisms for Renewable Energy is exactly what is needed. By creating this Alliance we expect to create an on-going exchange and to speed up Renewable Energy production in Africa”.
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Policies to Change the World

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Abstract

Policies to Change the World, Energy Sufficiency – Eight Policies towards the Sustainable Use of Energy, from the World Future Council, introduces the principle of energy sufficiency and explains why only efficiency and conservation can achieve the more ambitious energy reduction scenarios. It presents eight proven and effective policies to help reduce worldwide energy consumption: Energy audits for existing buildings, phasing out of incandescent light bulbs, energy performance contracting, incentivising combined heat/cooling energy and power, the ‘Top Runner’ programme, carbon-negative cooking, smart metering and area road pricing.

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World Future Council welcomes Founding of International Renewable Energy Agency: IRENA will speed up Global Implementation of Renewables

Media release

Hamburg, 26.01.09: “The World Future Council (WFC) has actively supported the creation of IRENA since the WFC was founded in 2007,” says Bianca Jagger, chair of the WFC. As an ardent supporter of IRENA, the German government had invited Ms Jagger to give a keynote speech at the preparatory meeting in April 2008. She is also present at the two-day founding conference in Bonn, Germany, starting today. “IRENA will constitute an independent driving force behind renewable energy and help to create a level playing field for the development of renewables in the Global South,” she said.
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