What is a Net Zero City?
Defining Net Zero
Since greenhouse gases are causing the climate emergency, the pursuit of “Net Zero” means transitioning society to produce zero net greenhouse gas emissions. This means effectively stopping the use of fossil fuels.
Some nations are now targeting 2050 for Net Zero, some 2070, but if we wait that long then the climate situation will apparently become quite dire.
So how should we address this?
Our new book, Net Zero City, proposes a pathway of innovation, a ten-year effort to achieve Net Zero. It contains a highly specific set of 113 action examples and a specific set of recommendations.
Please join us for our virtual launch event on Friday, December 10.
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Why the City?
We focus on the city because whereas so many national and state governments seem to be absorbed in partisan ideological struggles, it is in cities that much of the real and important work gets done. City leaders are usually chosen or elected because they manage well, and if the world’s cities began making the changes necessary to address climate change, then we would indeed be able to overcome this
challenge. Cities, in other words, are where the action is.
Achieving Net Zero
Achieving Net Zero is a complex problem, and it will not be solved by simplistic thinking or actions.
In the book we propose that
to deal with it effectively we require a few key solution elements:
We need a framework model to describe the system city, for which we propose an Urban System Framework consisting of five key elements that make the city what it is.
We also need to engage a huge number of people in a process of fundamental change, and to address this topic the book proposes a Theory of Change.
We require a reliable data and a data management architecture to help organize the huge amount of data and information needed to inform the complex policy decisions that will have to be made.
For this we offer the concept of the Data Value Stack.
We need to define a pathway, which we propose as a Four Phase Model.
And we need to identify the actions that you can take with respect to each sector of the framework, which address with a detailed Transformation Roadmap.
There does not seem to be any doubt now that there really is a climate emergency, but there is a lot of uncertainty about what we must do to address it. The COP 26 meeting in Glasgow in November 2021 clearly highlights the difficulties we have as a global society in coping with systemic problems of this magnitude. In Glasgow there was essentially no disagreement about the nature and scope of the problem, but
a lot of dithering about what to do.
Book web site: www.netzerocitybook.com
Click here to get your copy from Amazon.
Net Zero Urban Data Science
We’re so committed to this effort, that in addition to writing the book, we have also established a partnership with The Modern Data Company to provide the data management system necessary to make Net Zero a reality. Modern’s “DataOS” can support the complex data
management effort that we will require, and we are partnering with them to support cities in the implementation of the “Urban Twin,” an innovative approach to data management across all aspects of the Net Zero journey.
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As always, we welcome your feedback.
And please do stay healthy!!
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About InnovationLabs
InnovationLabs is recognized worldwide as one of the most helpful and important innovation consulting firms. We help our clients achieve world-class innovation prowess by designing innovation systems and tools, implementing innovation programs and departments, and providing fun and enlightening innovation trainings. If it’s got anything to do with innovation, we’re your key resource.
Our Library
Need some other reading suggestions?
Check out these fine books also.
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Click here to download our brochure on Innovation Labs
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Langdon Morris is Senior Partner of InnovationLabs, one of the world’s leading consulting firms working in the areas of strategy and innovation. He is author or coauthor of ten books on innovation. To learn more please visit http://www.innovationlabs.com/
This book is about important interventions, integrations, and innovations, and about how to conceive, design and
implement them in a meaningful way for a new or existing city. It offers a Transformation Roadmap for cities, providing multifaceted pathways to overcome the Climate Emergency by attaining Net Zero.
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