In the News: Evaluating the Greenest Cities in America

“Going forward, cities that find a successful path to adapt to the impending climate crisis will also be more successful overall in retaining businesses and attracting a powerful labor force,” said Professor Fernando DePaolis, who teaches in the Environmental Policy and Management program and serves as a senior researcher at the Center for the Blue Economy.

In a recent Q&A featured on WalletHub analyzing the Greenest Cities in America, DePaolis advocated policies that address urban heat.

Should cities invest in going green? What are the benefits?

Those who deny the already-felt effects of climate change do so for personal benefit, either because of direct, material benefits from their employers or backers, or because of potential, future political benefits from supporters. Period. There is not even a shred of evidence to deny climate impacts. 

The question now is how we can adapt to those changes. The answer is undoubtedly yes, cities must invest in sensible policies that create both immediate relief for those most vulnerable (the unhoused, the elderly, etc.) and use those policies to provide for a future of shared prosperity. This is where the interests of the public and businesses intersect.

There is a huge space where local jurisdictions—cities and counties—could develop the support structure for the labor force of the future based on emerging industries and those that will rapidly expand as a result of new demands for energy from renewable sources, adaptive transportation, and building retrofitting (especially housing).

Going forward, cities that find a successful path to adapt to the impending climate crisis will also be more successful overall in retaining businesses and attracting a powerful labor force.

Which green policies or investments offer the biggest bang for the buck?

This is difficult to gauge off the cuff. Location will remain a determinant of the success of climate adaptation policies. Coastal cities would benefit from considering alternatives that support industries impacted by disruptions to coastal activities (tourism, fishing, boat building and maintenance, etc.). Inland cities are already suffering from the impact of urban heat, which will be exacerbated by droughts and serious changes in precipitation regimes (most likely, there will be fewer, more severe rains).

In all cases, nature-based solutions, such as beach nourishment and the rebuilding of natural buffers, will be most cost-effective in coastal zones. Meanwhile, urban reforestation and reducing the density of heat accumulators (any hard surfaces, especially asphalt) would be most impactful for inland cities exposed to an increasing number of days over 100°F, which we are already experiencing in California and Arizona. 

Nature-based solutions are, in aggregate, more cost-effective. It is not just a way of being “green”; it makes good business sense.

How can state and local authorities attract renewable energy companies and other green businesses?

Historically, fiscal policy in the form of tax incentives has been a mainstay of industrial development advocates. However, many are doubting the real effectiveness of those policies as a means to develop the much-needed shared prosperity our cities need. 

Many of the renewable energy industrial compacts have a relatively small employment footprint. Automated processes and the budding AI expansion into all kinds of businesses make the image of the future even more uncertain. But there are parts of that industrial compact that have been overlooked. Soon, if we are not there already, we will experience a mismatch between the labor force we are developing and what employers will need in the renewable energy space. 

This is where I think community colleges can make a huge difference in creating programs that will educate the next generation of technicians needed for the renewable energy industries. Yes, we will still need people with MBAs and engineering degrees, but we are not covering the lower and intermediate levels of the labor force.

On the manufacturing side, it is difficult to think of an easy way to dislodge China’s dominance in areas such as solar panels. American cities would have a hard time convincing investors to locate large manufacturing facilities in their region. Both the Trump and Biden administrations limited imports from China either by imposing additional tariffs or by closing loopholes used by Chinese firms to circumvent those hurdles.

So, for cities to successfully insert themselves into the renewable energy sector, they will need to focus on the service side: design, management, building local facilities, maintenance, etc., rather than on the manufacturing side—and that includes batteries as well.

What are some easy ways individuals can go green without much cost or effort?

Many states offer incentives for installing solar panels on single-family homes, often at almost no cost to homeowners.

Buying local is a way to reduce the transportation component of carbon-equivalent emissions. This is not always easy or convenient, but we have seen a steady increase.

Lower consumption overall is another way to reduce the aggregate carbon footprint of our communities. If you wash your clothes four times instead of five over the same period and wear them just 20 percent longer, you would be making a huge contribution to reducing the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing energy and water use, and transportation impacts.

Vote for politicians who do not deny climate change.

In evaluating the greenest cities, what are the top indicators?

How are they dealing with their own energy budget? Have they transformed their vehicle fleet to electric (city cars, public works trucks, school buses, emergency and law enforcement vehicles, etc.)? My city has Tesla police cars. Are they using solar panels in their buildings and facilities, either for their own consumption or to put back into the grid?

Have they introduced new building codes that require energy-efficient buildings and appliances?

Are they providing for the most vulnerable residents (cooling/warming centers, etc.)?

Have they implemented an urban forest policy, including planting drought-resistant species that can provide shade to large areas of the city while enhancing the production of oxygen?

If they are coastal, are they addressing the effects of sea level rise?

This may not be a city-level policy—most likely a state-level one—but how are they regulating the insurance industry to ensure that premiums reflect the “real value of risk” from climate effects such as floods and wildfires?

Are they developing plans for climate contingencies to increase their resilience to natural disasters?