Can a green city be sustainable without also being just? The simple answer is no.
 
The urgent threat posed by the climate crisis and the gloomy prospect of global temperature rising above the 1.5°C target calls upon cities to be places for sustainable transitions. The recent update to the IPCC’s Climate Report highlights climate change is disproportionally affecting marginalised communities, underscoring the importance of justice, equity, and inclusion in enabling truly transformational approaches. The 2020 Paris Declaration’s ‘Race to Zero’ and the European Commission’s Mission ‘100 climate neutral cities by 2030’ recognise the huge potential for cities to provide spaces where transformative change can be leveraged and upscaled. Beyond offering climate mitigation and adaptation solutions, cities are also the melting pot where urban planning intersects with all policy areas relevant for citizens well-being, from mobility to food, education, health, work, and leisure. 

The nodal position of cities demands an integrated approach to climate action, making sure ‘green’ solutions do not exacerbate existing inequalities and exclusion patterns, leaving none behind.
 

As defined by the New Leipzig Charter, the green city has the transformative power to fight global warming while creating sustainable energy, mobility, and circular economy alternatives. It provides high environmental quality for all and contributes to regenerating biodiverse ecosystems through nature-based solutions and blue and green infrastructure.
 
How can green cities address grand societal challenges while tackling multidimensional injustices? How do we foster deep forms of democracy and citizen empowerment through environmentally sound urban transitions?
 
The UrbanA project, led by ICLEI, stresses the need to shift the narrative of green actions as one-time fixes abstracted from the urban social fabric. It identifies 17 keys to sustainable and just cities to guide city-makers strengthen the just-green policy nexus. 
 
The Just and Green Policy Lab will explore the critical tension between urgent climate action and the need to address intersectional inequalities, inviting experts to reflect on the scope for (urban) policy to integrate these dimensions.