REUTERS 08/07/23 By Michael Shank Indigenous peoples’ knowledge of halting wildfires should be tapped more often as climate change stokes blazes from Canada to Australia Wildfires are on everyone’s mind these days (and in everyone’s lungs it seems, too). Whether it’s the recent and ongoing wildfires in Canada – which […]
REUTERS 03/20/23 By Michael Shank In the search for cheap, green heat, cities from Toronto to Seattle are harnessing a wasted asset: human poop As the saying goes, waste is a terrible thing to waste. They don’t say that, but they should. Because one of our member cities, Toronto, is […]
REUTERS 01/23/23 By Michael Shank and Esa Nikunen Cities that invest in effectively getting climate messages out can drive faster change Michael Shank is director of engagement for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and Esa Nikunen is director general of environment services for Helsinki. Have you ever been to the […]
REUTERS 10/11/22 By Michael Shank and Julia Peek Michael Shank is director of engagement at the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance. Julia Peek is director of communications and mobilization at the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. When tackling climate change, one may think of the usual suite of approaches in policymaking: regulation […]
REUTERS 08/05/22 By Michael Shank Michael Shank is the director of engagement for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance. With Indonesian islanders suing cement producers for climate damages recently, buildings are getting much-needed attention for their carbon-heavy footprint. The built environment generates nearly 50% of annual global emissions. Yet buildings hardly […]
REUTERS 06/10/22 By Michael Shank Anytime the international community convenes on climate change there’s a predictable mix of criticism and encouragement. This month’s 50th Anniversary of the Stockholm Declaration, commemorating the United Nations’ first official gathering to discuss the “human environment” and ways to protect it, was no different. After […]
REUTERS 12/16/21 By Michael Shank and U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke Yvette D. Clarke is vice chair of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and co-chair of the Smart Cities Caucus. Michael Shank is communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and an adjunct faculty member at NYU’s […]
REUTERS 10/11/21 By Michael Shank and US Congresswoman Yvette Clarke U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke of New York is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a leader in the tech policy space as co-chair of the Smart Cities Caucus. Michael Shank is communications director for the […]
REUTERS 08/24/21 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Raul Grijalva Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) is chair of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee. Michael Shank is communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and adjunct faculty at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs. No matter your politics, you’re seeing the harmful impacts […]
REUTERS 07/22/21 By Michael Shank Accepting those displaced by worsening climate change disasters could shore up workforces and pension plans as national birthrates fall Michael Shank is the communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and adjunct faculty at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs. When environmental solutions to the […]