Research on Cities & Climate Change

If cities are to meet the challenge of the climate crisis, they will need budgets and capital plans that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, recognize the benefits of resilient capital investment, and prepare to access green bond finance. Dr. Whittington leads a team of researchers delivering a climate-smart methodology and model for capital investment planning to city officials and utility managers around the world. This effort has been supported by the World Bank, PPIAF, the Rockefeller Foundation, UN-Habitat, C40, and many other regional and national organizations, through the World Bank’s City Resilience Program, City Creditworthiness Initiative, and Low Carbon Task Force.

The methodology of climate-smart Capital Investment Planning (a.k.a. Capital improvement programming) has been introduced to over 650 subnational government officials, such as chief financial officers and planning directors, in 23 countries worldwide.

More about Climate-Informed, or “Climate Smart” Capital Investment Planning

• World Bank President’s Announcement
  
• The City Creditworthiness Initiative: Featuring the Climate-Smart CIP Methodology
• More about Climate-Smart CIPs
• Network of Municipal Managers taking part in City Creditworthiness Initiative

Related Publications

Whittington, Jan and Catherine Lynch. 2015. “Climate-informed decisions: the capital investment plan as a mechanism for lowering carbon emissions” Policy Research Working Paper Series; no. WPS 7381. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group. 34 pp.
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/07/24840744/climate-informed-decisions-capital-investment-plan-mechanism-lowering-carbon-emissions

Whittington, Jan and Stefanie Young. “Resilience through Transaction Cost Economic Evaluation: Recognizing the Cost-Effectiveness of Sustainable Development.” Surveys and Perspectives Integrating Environment and Society (S.A.P.I.EN.S), vol. 6, no. 1, 2013. OpenEdition: Ressources électroniques et communication scientifique,
http://sapiens.revues.org/1639

Whittington, Jan. “Capital Planning for High-Impact Earthquakes: Invest to Withstand the Test of Time” Washington Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, Vol. 7, Issue 2 (July 2017), pp. 444-454. HeinOnline,
http://digital.law.washington.edu/dspace-law/bitstream/handle/1773.1/1713/7WJELP444.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y