ZeroCarbonCity is our global campaign to raise awareness about climate change and the energy challenges facing the world’s cities.
An increasing majority of the world’s population are living in cities. A significant part of climate change is affected by the actions of people in these cities. That is why we we're running a campaign that concentrates on the relationship between climate change and cities.
Climate change is caused by gases that limit the heat radiated in to outer space, by creating a blanket of greenhouse gases (the greenhouse effect) in the Earth's atmosphere. This trapped heat then increases the Earth's temperature. Water vapour has some part in the greenhouse effect; however, it's the increase in carbon dioxide, methane, ozone and halocarbons that has been the greatest cause of climate change. All of these four gases have increased over the past 300 years as a direct result of human industry and population growth.
As major energy consumers, cities occupy an important position in the climate change debate. They are centres of innovation, where action is most likely to happen. Cities also have great potential to make a difference; change in cities can have a siginificant effect on the global situation.