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108. How Cities Use Data to Adapt to Climate Change

Follow the Data Podcast
Follow the Data Podcast
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a "code red for humanity" when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shared its latest report this week, which calls climate change "unequivocal" and "an established fact." And the growing frequency and intensity of heat waves, droughts, and storms like the ones we've experienced this summer are to be expected for years to come.

Climate action is of critical importance for local leaders, as extreme temperatures are expected to be off the charts more frequently and for longer periods of time, causing significant harm to human health and well-being. While cities are often hit hardest by the impact of climate change, they are also on the frontlines in this fight.

From planting trees to help cool down cities to reimagining and improving access to public spaces, mayors are taking immediate, bold action to improve quality of life for their residents. Bloomberg Associates, the pro bono consulting arm of Bloomberg Philanthropies, works with cities to implement sustainable and scalable solutions to fight climate change now.

To tell us more about how cities are working to become more sustainable and resilient, Jacob Koch, who works on our Sustainability team at Bloomberg Associates, sits down with Alejandro Restrepo-Montoya, a Professor of Architecture at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín, Colombia. Alejandro formerly served as the City Architect of Medellín, and helped design the city's award-winning "Green Corridors" project, which helped to reduce average city temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius.

Jacob also sits down with Ilaria Giuliani, the Deputy Chief Resilience Officer of the City of Milan. Bloomberg Associates has helped to support Mayor Beppe Sala's goal to plant three million trees by 2030 and to help re-imagine the historic streets and piazzas to be greener and ensure all Milanese live within a short walk of an upgraded public space.

On this episode, Jacob, Alejandro and Ilaria discuss how cities use data to drive decision-making and evaluate impact, and the importance of bringing nature back to cities.
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