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1. The Benefits and Limits of Urban Tree Planting for Environmental and Human Health

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.603757  

   Pataki, Diane E.; Alberti, Marina; Cadenasso, Mary L.; Felson, Alexander J.; McDonnell, Mark J.; Pincetl, Stephanie; Pouyat, Richard V.; Setälä, Heikki; Whitlow, Thomas H. (April 2021, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution)

   null (Ed.)

   Many of the world’s major cities have implemented tree planting programs based on assumed environmental and social benefits of urban forests. Recent studies have increasingly tested these assumptions and provide empirical evidence for the contributions of tree planting programs, as well as their feasibility and limits, for solving or mitigating urban environmental and social issues. We propose that current evidence supports local cooling, stormwater absorption, and health benefits of urban trees for local residents. However, the potential for urban trees to appreciably mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution over a wide array of sites and environmental conditions is limited. Consequently, urban trees appear to be more promising for climate and pollution adaptation strategies than mitigation strategies. In large part, this is due to space constraints limiting the extent of urban tree canopies relative to the current magnitude of emissions. The most promising environmental and health impacts of urban trees are those that can be realized with well-stewarded tree planting and localized design interventions at site to municipal scales. Tree planting at these scales has documented benefits on local climate and health, which can be maximized through targeted site design followed by monitoring, adaptive management, and studies of long-term eco-evolutionary dynamics. 

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2. Towards zero-emission urban mobility: Leveraging AI and LCA for targeted interventions

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-024-1193-7  

   Wang, Qi R (October 2024, Building Simulation)

   Abstract Urban mobility is a critical contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for over 30% of urban carbon emissions in the United States in 2021. Addressing this challenge requires a comprehensive and data-driven approach to transform transportation systems into sustainable networks. This paper presents an integrated framework that leverages artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and life cycle assessment (LCA) to analyze, model, and optimize urban mobility. The framework consists of four key components: AI-powered analysis and models, synthetic urban mobility data generation, LCA for environmental footprint analysis, and data-driven policy interventions. By combining these elements, the framework not only deciphers complex mobility patterns but also quantifies their environmental impacts, providing actionable insights for policy decisions aimed at reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable urban transportation. The implications of this approach extend beyond individual cities, offering a blueprint for global sustainable urban mobility. 

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3. Cities and regions tackle climate change mitigation but often focus on less effective solutions

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01108-6  

   Burley Farr, Katherine; Song, Kaihui; Yeo, Zhi Yi; Johnson, Evan; Hsu, Angel (November 2023, Communications Earth & Environment)

   Abstract Although the potential for cities and regions to contribute to global mitigation efforts is widely acknowledged, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of subnational mitigation strategies. Here we address this gap through a systematic review of 234 quantitative mitigation case studies. We use a meta-analytical approach to estimate expected greenhouse gas emissions reductions from 12 categories of mitigation strategies. We find that strategies related to land use and development, circular economy, and waste management are most effective and reliable for reducing emissions. The results demonstrate that cities and regions are taking widespread action to reduce emissions. However, we find misalignment between the strategies that policymakers and researchers focus on, compared to those with the highest expected impacts. The results inform climate action planning at the city and regional level and the evaluation of subnational climate targets. 

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4. Mitigation justice

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2411231122  

   Reich, Peter B; Grace, Kathryn; Agrawal, Arun; Nagendra, Harini (April 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Mitigating climate change and social injustice are critical, interwoven challenges. Climate change is driven by grossly unequal contributions to elevated greenhouse gas emissions among individuals, socioeconomic groups, and nations. Yet, its deleterious impacts disproportionately affect poor and less powerful nations, and the poor and the less powerful within each nation. This climate injustice prompts a call for mitigation strategies that buffer the poorest and the most vulnerable against climate change impacts. Unfortunately, all emissions mitigation strategies also reshape social, economic, political, and ecological processes in ways that may create climate change mitigation injustices—i.e., a unique set of injustices not caused by climate change, but by the strategies designed to stem it. Failing to stop climate change is not an answer—this will swamp all adverse impacts of even unjust mitigation in terms of the scope and scale of disastrous consequences. However, mitigation without justice will create uniquely negative consequences for the more vulnerable. The ensuing analysis systematically assesses how climate change mitigation strategies can generate or ameliorate injustices. We first examine how climate science and social justice interact within and among countries. We then ask what there is to learn from the available evidence on how emissions reductions, well-being, and equity have unfolded in a set of countries. Finally, we discuss the intersection between emissions reduction and mitigation justice through actions in important domains including energy, technology, transport, and food systems; nature-based solutions; and policy and governance. 

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5. City–company collaboration towards aligned science-based target setting

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01473-w  

   Kılkış, Şiir; Bjørn, Anders; Bai, Xuemei; Liu, Jianguo; Whiteman, Gail; Crona, Beatrice; Andersen, Lauren Seaby; Hasan, Syezlin; Vijay, Varsha; Sabag, Oscar (January 2025, Nature Sustainability)

   Abstract Cities and companies have great potential to reduce pressures on Earth system boundaries. Science-based target setting has emerged as a powerful tool to help achieve the potential, but its uptake has been limited. Moreover, cities and companies usually develop their targets separately, even though many are co-located. Focusing on the top 200 cities and 500 companies by greenhouse gas emissions, we analyse the current state and potential of adopting science-based targets for climate. Of these key actors, 110 cities with existing net-zero targets and 22 companies with existing science-based targets could together eliminate up to 3.41 GtCO₂e of annual emissions. We argue that this reduction potential could increase by as much as 67% (to 5.70 GtCO₂e) if the cities and companies that already have targets bring their co-located counterparts on board to keep abreast of their ambitions. Using freshwater as another example, we discuss entry points for addressing interrelated Earth system boundaries through city–company collaborations. Our findings elucidate previously untapped potentials that could accelerate transformations for operating within Earth system boundaries. 

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