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 […]
NEWSWEEK 05/04/23 RUTLAND HERALD 05/12/23 TIMES ARGUS 05/12/23 VTDIGGER 06/21/23 By Michael Shank There’s a looming threat facing Ukrainians, and it’s not Russian; it’s American. There’s a “fossil fuel gold rush” currently underway by American energy companies exploiting Russia’s war in Ukraine for gain. Under the guise of “liberating” Ukraine […]
ENCOMPASS April 2023 By Michael Shank On 20 March the IPCC again sounded the alarm that “there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all (very high confidence).” But it also noted that there is still time, provided meaningful action takes place. […]
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 […]
FAST COMPANY 12/20/22 By Michael Shank From Amsterdam to Cleveland, cities are experimenting with tactics that bring community members into the conversation and empower them to make positive change. As more people migrate to urban areas at risk of climate disaster, cities are increasingly thinking and working outside the traditional […]
NEWSWEEK 12/8/22 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Raul Grijalva As climate talks wrapped up at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt this past month, the attending delegates agreed to make long-awaited history. For the first time, the United Nations adopted a pact to establish a “loss […]
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 […]