ABSTRACT
For many, climate change is a problem of global proportion, requiring equally global
responses. Yet climate change is also a fundamental urban issue. With an increasingly
urban population, cities are places which may be particularly vulnerable to the
impacts of climate change and-the focus of this paper-are significant sources of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Indeed, cities and towns are thought to produce
over 70% of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, and by 2030 some
80% of the increase in global annual energy demand above 2006 levels is predicted
to be from cities in non-Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) countries (IEA, 2008). Reflecting the twin challenges of mitigating and
