ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of the issue of climate change discussed any time, any place, reflects the fact that climate change poses serious threats to human survival and development. In the Fifteenth Conference of Parties (COP) climate change negotiations at Copenhagen, it was clear that the two camps, three negotiating groups, and a number of interest groups are still unwilling to compromise on the following key issues: emission reduction targets for developed countries, emissions growth limitations for large developing countries, helping the poorest countries adapt to climate change, and a basic framework for future reduction protocol. Climate governance requires different actors to act collectively. Among all the actors involved in the implementation of climate policies, cities bring together production material, capital, labor, and science and technology within a certain geographic area. They are the hubs of interlaced economic networks. Urban economic growth and infrastructure development is closely related to energy consumption. Irrational use of energy leads to environmental degradation and, eventually, becomes a main constraint on economic growth. The twenty-first century ushered in an era in which developing countries’ development strategies accelerate both urbanization and energy consumption. Cities in industrialized countries account for 95 percent of end-consumption. Directly and indirectly, cities emit 75–80 percent of all greenhouse gases (GHGs). As a result, “low-carbon development” has become the world’s theme in this age.
