What is the Urban Climate Rebel Alliance?
Do. Or do not. There is no try. -- Master Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back)
For more than two decades, growing numbers of cities have been doing what comes naturally: engaging with each other worldwide in formal and informal networks to share what they've learned about urban climate innovations and collaborate on developing and refining new innovations. these cities recognize that, for perhaps the first time in history, the success of any individual city depends, to a large degree on the success of cities collectively.
We call this global mesh the Rebel Alliance, after the band of insurgents in Star Wars and Rogue One that pitted its meager resources against those of the Galactic Empire and plotted to destroy the planet-obliterating Death Star.
As we explain in Life After Carbon, it has been our great privilege to work with many of the cities best known for designing and implementing climate innovations. "As advisors and enablers, we've gotten to know funders of city climate innovators across greatly different contexts--all part of a new international community of urban climate practitioners."
This community of practice did not exist back in the early 1990s when the first set of cities committed to doing something about global warming. Today, though, it is an integral part of the mass gatherings for the Global Climate Action Summit and Climate Week. It is a busy, effective, and growing swarm.
In Chapter 5 of Life After Carbon we show how this network of rebels is changing cities worldwide: learning, borrowing, experimenting, inspiring, collaborating. And it's not just city government people in the mix. "Many of the world's linked urban climate rebels come from the ranks of professions and business."
More about the Rebel Alliance here. Better yet, order the book from our publisher.
