Cities Climate Action Webinar: Tackling the Biggest GHG Impacts
On February 20, 2021, over 100 interested residents, officials, and governmental staff attended a PCA webinar on tackling the biggest greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts. Existing buildings and the transportation sector account for 70 to 90 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in our cities, so it essential to address the impacts of these sectors in climate action plans. (For information on other webinars we’ve offered, see our Webinars page.)
During the webinar, Chris Benedict, a leading NYC architect, shared her experience in transforming an occupied apartment complex into an energy efficient and all-electric facility. Dr. Alexandre Milovanoff, a University of Toronto researcher, explained how his research shows that that to adequately cut GHG emissions in the transportation sector, we need to think more broadly than just the (important) transition to electric vehicles (EVs). We also need careful city planning and action, so that people need less transportation in their daily lives, and have increased low- or zero-emission options for getting around.
Summit Presentations
- Court Olson’s opening slides: importance of buildings and transportation for reducing emissions.
- Videos of Chris Benedict:
- Chris Benedict outlines her approach to energy upgrades for apartment buildings: what works, what’s cost-effective, and why. During the webinar, we watched up to time point 9:07 in the video.
- Tours with Chris Benedict through buildings being upgraded: Building video tour 1 (we watched 3:08 – 10:40; 16.54 – 17.40; and 21:36 – 23:28) and Building video tour 2 (we watched from 0:00 – 2:01, and 4:25 – 5:05)
- Dr. Alexandre Milovanoff’s slides: what’s needed, beyond electric vehicles, to reach emissions reductions goals for transportation.
Additional links
- Chris Benedict’s work on buildings in New York City: description and sample illustrations.
- The myth of electric cars: Why we also need to focus on buses and trains, by Alexandre Milovanoff (article in The Conversation).
Many thanks to the presenters, to those who helped publicize this event, and to all who attended!