Cities

Devastating Beijing floods test China’s ‘sponge cities’

Despite Beijing’s sponge city project, the capital was overwhelmed by recent floods with dozens dying and a new “sponge airport” shut down

Cooling towers, fake snow: What the Beijing Winter Olympics says about climate change

The spectacle of fake snow and an old steel mill’s cooling towers has sparked climate debate among Olympics-watchers

Covid exposes Mexico City’s water access gap between rich and poor

The coronavirus pandemic lays bare the impact of Mexico City’s mounting water crisis on vulnerable households, while gated communities enjoy reliable supplies

It will take more than a few cycle lanes to make green, pandemic-proof cities

The coronavirus lockdown gave a glimpse of what cleaner cities can look like, but as people turn to private cars for safety from infection, pollution could soar

Addis Ababa riverside project gives priority to development over residents

Ethiopia wants $900 million riverside project to be a model of green development – yet one resident says shelters were demolished ‘without warning’

Car boom brings gridlock misery to ‘green and happy’ Bhutan

Bhutan’s growing economy brings growing gridlock – and a potential threat to the country’s vaunted carbon-negative status

Two million in Zimbabwe’s capital have no water as city turns off taps

‘The situation is bad, period’, says spokesman for Harare council, as suburbs go weeks without water and cases of typhoid are reported

Trains deliver emergency water to drought-hit Chennai

Millions of people are experiencing water shortages as Chennai’s reservoirs are running dry and other sources of water are dwindling

EU ‘climate leaders’ plans found lacking

Finland, Sweden, Portugal, France and Germany praised for ambitious targets, but NGO analysis raises questions over details

New York City bans inefficient glass skyscrapers, WA state to end coal

New York mayor announces sweeping climate change programme, while Washington’s power will be carbon-neutral by 2030

Cities

Living

Life adapts to Louisiana’s disappearing coast

South Louisiana is experiencing the effects of coastal erosion faster than almost anywhere in the world, but life adapts through the buildings and architecture

7 surprising things about the carbon footprint of your food

From sandwiches to ‘bleeding’ veggie burgers, we’ve rounded up some of the latest research and innovations for a low-carb(on) diet

‘We have brought swallows into Milan’, says father of the vertical forest

Stefano Boeri dreamed up the idea of a living building from a childhood story, now he is exporting them around the world

US exports of tar sands waste are fuelling Delhi’s air pollution crisis

India has emerged as the world’s largest importer of petroleum coke, an oil byproduct that is now a major cause of pollution in the capital

Climate threatens ‘Himalayan Viagra’ fungus, and a way of life

A valuable fungus reputed to be an aphrodisiac has been disappearing from the mountains of Nepal, taking with it a valuable source of income

‘Bad-ass business women’ bring solar empowerment to Nepal

NGO that helps women overcome cultural taboos and start their own clean energy businesses to be awarded prize in London ceremony

‘We are praying it rains soon’ – Nairobi on severe water rations

Some districts are receiving just 12 hours of water each week as drought hits the Kenyan capital – home to more than 3 million people

Rain stopped play: Cricket ignores its climate threat

Cricket – that most weather dependent of games – is slow-bowling its way into a future in which English seamers no longer swing and more and more games are washed out

Living