Mission Statement

This website is inspired by several things: 

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1. An early attempt, well before global warming came into prominence, to reduce energy and resource consumption of cities in developing countries;

2. the international realization that climate is perhaps the most serious problem facing the planet today; and

3. the fact that cities account for about 80% of the world’s carbon footprint, they must be a big part of the solution and many cities around the world are now working on this problem.   

 

Here is the story in summary.

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In the 1970s there was a serious global energy shortage that led to gas rationing and grave concern on the part of governments.  In the US Agency for International Development (USAID manages the U.S. foreign assistance program), I was part of an office that responded to this situation by initiating a program we called Managing Energy and Resource Efficient Cities (MEREC).  It was intended to become a global program after proving out in a series of pilot programs in the Philippines, Thailand and Portugal.  It was a truly pioneering effort for the time. 

 

The pilot programs in those three countries proved to be highly successful.  However, by the time the programs had been fully evaluated it was 1987, the energy crisis was in everyone’s rear view mirror.  We attempted to take this program to the next level and make it a global program for the Agency but failed.  There was no longer the political will, and though a few scientists had been making the case that global warming was a threat, they were not being listened to nor was their case being picked up by the media or in the public discourse.  Knowing what we now know about global warming and the huge role cities play in it, this was tragic.

 

Had we succeeded in globalizing MEREC, there would have been a host of models out there as early as the late 1980’s.  They would be having a positive impact on reducing the carbon footprint of cities, conserving potentially scarce resources and helping to show the way for others.  

 

For those interested in a full account of the MEREC pilot programs and our efforts to make the program global, the reader is referred to two documents.  The first is the evaluation report for the project which was published by USAID in 1987, More with Less:  Managing Energy and Resource Efficient Cities.  To access it, click on the cover.

 

The second is the book, Pioneering in International Urban Development:  Creating USAID Policies and Programs 1970-1982, published in 2018.  This book has two full chapters devoted to MEREC, covering its development and implementation and our attempts to take it global.  A photo of the book cover is displayed below.  It can be purchased on Amazon or downloaded for free;  just click on the cover. 

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Meanwhile, it was not until June of 1992 in the U.N. Earth Summit that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was created and eventually signed by 197 countries.  This led to the Kyoto Protocol signed December 11, 1997, in Kyoto, Japan by 192 countries.  Kyoto was followed by the Paris Agreement signed in December 2015 in France.  Playing off of these agreements, the response relating to the role of cities has been impressive.  Many articles and books have been written, research institutions formed, countries, localities and cities are undertaking climate change and conservation initiatives.  Networks are developing and the private sector is engaged offering relevant goods and services. 

 

The idea behind this web site is that it can capture much of this impressive action and provide information about it and links and references to it in one convenient location on the web.  This should help accelerate the spread and continued development of these positive carbon and resource reducing initiatives.  Further, by being interactive, the intent is that the web site can be improved and enhanced and the community of the concerned can be helped to grow.  We consider the site a work in progress.