The winds of change are blowing through the world’s maritime hubs…despite some national governments’ efforts to the contrary. While the shipping industry carries 90% of global trade, it also leaves a heavy carbon trail in its wake. In this episode of Cities 1.5, we explore the high-stakes transformation of our global ports: once seen as industrial hotspots of pollution, these urban harbours are emerging as the front lines of the green transition. We dive into the groundbreaking "Green Shipping Corridors" that are linking sustainable cities, and the bold shift toward zero-emission fuels. From local air quality to global supply chains, discover how cities are turning the tide on emissions and steering the industry toward a 1.5°C future. It’s time to rethink the horizon: clearer skies and smoother sailing ahead.

Featured guests:

Eric Garcetti, C40 Ambassador for Global Climate Diplomacy and former Mayor of Los Angeles

Alisa Kreynes, Director of Ports and Shipping at C40

Featured clips:

The Shipping Forecast - BBC Radio 4

Global shipping emissions vote on a knife edge at IMO - BBC Business Today

Links:

Greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from global shipping, 2016–2023 - The International Council on Clean Transportation

A guide to the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework - Global Maritime Forum

Landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions in tatters after US pressure - BBC News

Ports and Shipping - C40 Knowledge Hub

Green shipping corridors programme - C40 Cities website

From Los Angeles to Shanghai, the port cities collaborating to cut shipping emissions - Reuters

Green Ports Forum - C40 Cities website

Why should we talk about a 'just and equitable' transition for shipping? - UN Trade and Development

Rescuing shipping's Net Zero Framework - Climate Analytics

Cities take the global stage to showcase climate action at the IMO for the first time - C40 Cities website

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

From fossil fuel lobbying to coordinated political disinformation campaigns, vested interests have built a profitable disinformation infrastructure designed to spread confusion, polarize debate, and exhaust the public. The good news is that the world is waking up. For the first time in the history of the COP, a Declaration on Information Integrity was agreed upon, with governments committing to address climate disinformation and promote accurate, evidence-based information globally.

But we need to go further upstream - instead of simply fighting falsehoods, we need to build ecosystems where truth can take root and flourish. In this episode, we look to Brazil and speak to an individual who was integral in bringing information integrity both to COP and the international agenda. She makes the case for cities as one of the most powerful forces in reclaiming the narrative, building the infrastructure of truth from the ground up - one community at a time.

Featured guest:

Thais Lazzeri, Investigative Journalist and Founder of FALA

Links:

Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change - UNESCO

Integrity Information Observatory - Oii

Mentiro Tem Preco (Lies Have a Price)

Climate Information Integrity

5 Million Acts for Truth - FALA

Tomorrow is today - YouTube (Portuguese)

500 Grams of Life - Thais Lazzeri (Portuguese)

‘Democracy on the line’: Brazil’s election and the Bolsonaro disinformation ecosystem - Columbia Journalism Review

Environmental and Climatic Disinformation in Northern Brazil: Dynamics and Impact in the Context of COP-30 - Heinrich Boll Stiftung

Environmental journalism and the struggle against disinformation in Brazil - Frontiers in Communication

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

As our lives become increasingly digital, the infrastructure powering them is sparking a global debate: we need data centres, but at what cost to the climate and our access to energy? These massive facilities are the backbone of everything from streaming to AI, yet they consume staggering amounts of electricity and water, often straining local grids and and in some cases, threatening to derail decarbonisation efforts.

In this episode of Cities 1.5, we explore how Ireland became the "canary in the coalmine" for this issue. With data centres projected to consume nearly 30% of the nation’s electricity by 2030, the Irish experience serves as a critical warning – and a roadmap – for cities worldwide. We examine the tension between economic ambition and climate mandates, questioning how urban leaders can manage the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure without derailing net-zero goals. Join us as we dive into the lessons learned from the frontlines of the data centre boom and what they mean for the future of sustainable cities.

Featured guest:

Professor Hannah Daly, Professor of Sustainable Energy at University College Cork

Links:

Ireland’s data centre boom is driving up fossil fuel dependence - The Irish Times, by Professor Hannah Daly

Data Centres Metered Electricity Consumption 2024 - Central Statistics Office

Energy for who? Data centres and the grid - Friends of the Earth Ireland

How Big Tech wrote secrecy into EU law to hide environmental toll - The Journal Investigates

What Ireland’s Data Center Crisis Means for the EU’s AI Sovereignty Plans - AlgorithmWatch

Ireland’s data centre policy reset: The end of the blanket moratorium - KPMG Ireland

Google’s Dublin data centre blocked amid energy usage concerns - Tech Monitor

Data Centres Ireland – Energy, Growth and the Grid Debate - Enable Research

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/