On 23 October in Paris the mayors of London, Paris, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Quito, Vancouver, Mexico City, Milan, Seattle, Auckland, and Cape Town committed to a series of ambitious targets to make their cities greener, healthier and more prosperous. By signing the C40 Fossil-Fuel-Free Streets Declaration, the pioneering city leaders pledged to procure only
Neil Harbisson is the first recognized cyborg in history: he can hear colours thanks to an electronic eye. We met him and discovered he’s also an environmentalist.
Costa Rica aims to become the world’s first country to adopt a national strategy to end single-use plastic by 2021, as announced by Costa Rican Environment and Energy Minister Edgar Gutiérrez. The decision is part of the plan to make Costa Rica the first carbon-neutral country by 2021. Along with ending single-use plastics, the country
Drinking water in more than a dozen countries around the world has been found contaminated with micro particles of plastic a recent scientific study has revealed. About 83 per cent of the water samples tested during a research project commissioned by journalism organisation Orb Media contained plastic fibres, with the United States presenting the highest contamination rate
Thanks to Short Edition, a small French startup, eight short story distributors were installed in the city hall, train stations, tourism office and post offices in the southern French city of Grenoble at the end of 2015. Perfect to help people kill time without relying on ever-present smartphones and, instead, giving literature a chance. Depending on how much time you have, you choose the one,
In Italy, it sounds like heresy. Spaghetti bolognese would probably horrify the good people of Emilia-Romagna (the region where Bologna, the city that hosts the largest agri-food centre in world, Eataly World, is located) but beyond Italian borders this dish is highly appreciated and requested. Those who order it are convinced they’re eating a real Italian
Two marble-white nine-metre tall children’s hands surging from the Grand Canal in Venice and ambiguously supporting or toppling over the Ca’ Sagredo hotel have skyrocketed sculptor Lorenzo Quinn to fame. The installation Support has captured the world’s attention with its powerful message about climate change: we have the power to either sustain or destroy our global heritage. Its location
In view of G20 to be held on 7 and 8 July in Hamburg, Germany, the mayors of 46 megacities wrote to the heads of state to urge shared and bold actions to face climate change. In support of this letter, a global petition has been launched and more than 50,000 people have already signed
The project is similar to New York’s famous High Line constructed on the railway that once connected the Meat Market to Midtown. But in the case of Seoullo 7017 in South Korea’s capital Seoul, a walkway has been constructed on an overpass dating back to 1970 where cars once sped along, and where today people can wander and enjoy the revitalised area. The Seoullo 7017
Here’s a selection of official statements released by C40 mayors from all over the world speaking up against Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, and confirming their commitment to defending the accord and continuing to fight climate change. Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40 Cities “Climate
