Cities 1.5

As our lives become increasingly digital, the infrastructure powering them is sparking a global debate: we need data centres, but at what cost to the climate and our access to energy? These massive facilities are the backbone of everything from streaming to AI, yet they consume staggering amounts of electricity and water, often straining local grids and and in some cases, threatening to derail decarbonisation efforts.
In this episode of Cities 1.5, we explore how Ireland became the "canary in the coalmine" for this issue. With data centres projected to consume nearly 30% of the nation’s electricity by 2030, the Irish experience serves as a critical warning – and a roadmap – for cities worldwide. We examine the tension between economic ambition and climate mandates, questioning how urban leaders can manage the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure without derailing net-zero goals. Join us as we dive into the lessons learned from the frontlines of the data centre boom and what they mean for the future of sustainable cities.
Featured guest: 
Professor Hannah Daly, Professor of Sustainable Energy at University College Cork
Links:
Ireland’s data centre boom is driving up fossil fuel dependence - The Irish Times, by Professor Hannah Daly
Data Centres Metered Electricity Consumption 2024 - Central Statistics Office
Energy for who? Data centres and the grid - Friends of the Earth Ireland
How Big Tech wrote secrecy into EU law to hide environmental toll - The Journal Investigates
What Ireland’s Data Center Crisis Means for the EU’s AI Sovereignty Plans -  AlgorithmWatch
Ireland’s data centre policy reset: The end of the blanket moratorium -  KPMG Ireland
Google’s Dublin data centre blocked amid energy usage concerns - Tech Monitor
Data Centres Ireland – Energy, Growth and the Grid Debate - Enable Research
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Ready for a ride? In this episode, we’re celebrating the inaugural World Public Transport Day, created by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), along with its global partners, and we explore why public transport is the beating heart of our cities. From the "rolling focus groups" on Melbourne’s iconic trams to the colorful jeepneys of the Philippines, we share personal stories of connection from urban centres across the globe.
But it’s not just about the journey: we dive into the hard policy making it happen. Discover how Mexico City’s Metro uses unique icons to bridge literacy gaps, how Salvador is empowering women through "Women behind the Wheel," and how Amman’s new electric fleet is clearing the air. Hop on for a celebration of the journeys that move us all!
Special thanks to Mariana Batista, C40 Senior Manager for Public Transport, for her assistance in providing both translation and production support for this episode.
Featured guests: 
Nobuntu Ciko Duze, Deputy Director of Transport Systems Management, Johannesburg
Nick Reece, Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Jim Duran Mayerstein, Senior Manager, Zero-Emission Bus Rapid Deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA) at C40
Sonto Ziqubu, C40 Executive Office Coordinator
Adriana de Jesus Ferreira, Bus Driver and Mulheres no Volante beneficiary
Yousef Al Shawarbeh, Mayor of Amman
Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities
Links: 
The Transit City that could’ve been - The Ethnic Aisle
Zero emission transport - C40 Cities
Transport Sector Analysis - International Energy Agency
Completing the Trip - World Resources Institute
I got inked by the world’s oldest tattoo artist - CNN Style
Mexico City’s Metro Icons - Mexican Routes
Infographic: Joburg by taxi - Brand South Africa
Women Behind the Wheel project - Salvador City Hall
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Cities aren’t just structures. They’re people. In the rapidly urbanising cities of the global majority, many of those people are migrant workers.  They often work informally, with limited protection when shocks hit. At the same time, they are vital to propping up and rebuilding cities after climate disasters. In this week’s Cities 1.5 podcast episode, host David Miller speaks to Ritwika Basu, an environmental social scientist and urbanist who researches this invisible labour in small and medium-sized cities in India.
Featured guests:
Ritwika Basu, Environmental Social Scientist and Urbanist, and one of the guest editors of the Journal City Climate Policy and Economy’s soon to be released Special Issue on Adaptation and Resilience in Cities of the Majority World: Advancing Equity and Justice in Practice, and Author of “Hidden Infrastructure of Urban Resilience: Labor, Precarity, and Economic Adaptation in India” which will be released to open access on April 15, 2026.
Links:
Resilient Cities (and how to build them) - Cities 1.5
Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy
Resources on Urban Climate Resilience - C40 Knowledge Hub
Good Green Jobs and Labour Migration: Opportunities for Urban Leaders - C40 Knowledge Hub
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

In this episode of Cities 1.5, we bring you another "Tale of Two Cities" - but this time, David sits down with two pioneering mayors from opposite ends of the globe. Despite their vastly different histories, both Athens are Melbourne are inspiring and leading the way through the climate crisis, and mitigating its impacts.We explore Athens is embracing progressive economics and tackling energy poverty, and how Melbourne is transforming and greening urban spaces and trailblazing renewable energy schemes and much more.These urban leaders are protecting city residents from climate impacts, engaging the next generation, and proving that local innovation and leadership is the best way to navigate the climate crisis. 
Featured guests:
Haris Doukas, Mayor of Athens
Nick Reece, Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Links:
Inside the World Mayors Summit: Cities throw down the gauntlet - Cities 1.5
Inside the World Mayors Summit: The battle for cities, truth and a fossil fuel free future at COP30 and beyond - Cities 1.5
Athens mayor focuses on getting capital through extreme heat - The Guardian
A blueprint for European cities? Athens announces new initiative to tackle energy poverty - Net Zero Cities
Doughnut Economics Action Lab
4th Youth Assembly on Climate Change with the participation of University Students - Eliamep
Nick Reece reveals plan to make Melbourne the “Garden City” - Southbank Local News
Melbourne Renewable Energy Project 
Disinformation and the City - Melbourne Centre for Cities
What should Melbourne be like in 2050? - Docklands News
M2050 Summit Report
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

What links the Paris Agreement, Barbie and Arnold Schwarzenegger? The answer is this week’s guest on Cities 1.5!
As a key architect of the Paris Agreement, Catherine McKenna - Canada’s former Minister for Climate Change and the Environment - reflects on why cities are now the true engines of delivery. There’s also a powerful exploration of Catherine’s new memoir, Run Like a Girl, and a firsthand account of why we cannot solve the climate crisis while leaving half the world’s population out of the corridors of power. It’s time to lead like a girl.
Featured guest:
Hon. Catherine McKenna, Chair of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Commitments of Non-State Entities and host of Women Leading on Climate podcast
Audio clips:
Environment minister tells Rebel Media reporter to stop calling her 'Climate Barbie' - CBC News
Links:
What justice for women in Afghanistan? - Swiss Info
Inside the C40 World Mayors Summit - Cities 1.5
It’s Grand Ol’ Bargain, Alright - Hot Takes
Canada’s former climate minister on making a change, ‘aloof’ Trudeau and sexism - The Guardian
Integrity Matters: Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities - United Nations website
Paris climate deal - The Guardian
Breaking the Tragedy of the Horizon - Mark Carney speech
Meet the young climate activists behind Mathur et. al. v. His Majesty - Ecojustice
Why would anyone hate Catherine McKenna? - Maclean’s
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/