Journal of Environmental Sciences Juniper Publishers

Short Communication Multiple levels of government must play complementary roles in mitigating climate changes (Francis and Feiock 2009; Ostrom 201#), but city level engagement and action are particularly critical for two reasons. First, urban areas are the primary source of GHG emissions worldwide. For example, in the US urban areas hold over three-fourths of the population and account for about 80% of global primary energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [1]. Second, cities have the potential to significantly influence environmental and problems since they have primary responsibility for the local land use and building decisions that are critical to sustainability efforts. In many countries’ cities have stepped up to address climate and GHG mitigation issues. City leadership in climate protection is especially visible in the US due to the absence of action by the national level government, but cities have been leaders in nations across the globe (Krause et al. 2...

  Juniper Publishers-Open Access Journal of Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources Using Geospatial technologies for Sustainable Urban Development Authored by Abdul Raouf Opinion Urbanization is a natural process, resulting in an ever-increasing number of mega sites worldwide. The rate of urbanization has increased from under 30% in 1950 to over 54% in 2014 (UN, 2014). It has been estimated by the United Nations that about 80% of the global population will be living in cities by 2050. Exploding mega cities bring challenges for city planners and local governments. While a growing number of slum areas is a big challenge for expanding cities, reduction of green spaces and infrastructure development in areas prone to natural disasters is perhaps a bigger dilemma. If not planned carefully, these expanding cities cannot be sustainable due to the risks associated with natural disasters such as floods. These natural disasters can cause damage to personal property, public infrastruc...