Cities 1.5

Cities aren’t just structures. They’re people. In the rapidly urbanising cities of the global majority, many of those people are migrant workers.  They often work informally, with limited protection when shocks hit. At the same time, they are vital to propping up and rebuilding cities after climate disasters. In this week’s Cities 1.5 podcast episode, host David Miller speaks to Ritwika Basu, an environmental social scientist and urbanist who researches this invisible labour in small and medium-sized cities in India.
Featured guests:
Ritwika Basu, Environmental Social Scientist and Urbanist, and one of the guest editors of the Journal City Climate Policy and Economy’s soon to be released Special Issue on Adaptation and Resilience in Cities of the Majority World: Advancing Equity and Justice in Practice, and Author of “Hidden Infrastructure of Urban Resilience: Labor, Precarity, and Economic Adaptation in India” which will be released to open access on April 15, 2026.
Links:
Resilient Cities (and how to build them) - Cities 1.5
Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy
Resources on Urban Climate Resilience - C40 Knowledge Hub
Good Green Jobs and Labour Migration: Opportunities for Urban Leaders - C40 Knowledge Hub
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

In this episode of Cities 1.5, we bring you another "Tale of Two Cities" - but this time, David sits down with two pioneering mayors from opposite ends of the globe. Despite their vastly different histories, both Athens are Melbourne are inspiring and leading the way through the climate crisis, and mitigating its impacts.We explore Athens is embracing progressive economics and tackling energy poverty, and how Melbourne is transforming and greening urban spaces and trailblazing renewable energy schemes and much more.These urban leaders are protecting city residents from climate impacts, engaging the next generation, and proving that local innovation and leadership is the best way to navigate the climate crisis. 
Featured guests:
Haris Doukas, Mayor of Athens
Nick Reece, Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Links:
Inside the World Mayors Summit: Cities throw down the gauntlet - Cities 1.5
Inside the World Mayors Summit: The battle for cities, truth and a fossil fuel free future at COP30 and beyond - Cities 1.5
Athens mayor focuses on getting capital through extreme heat - The Guardian
A blueprint for European cities? Athens announces new initiative to tackle energy poverty - Net Zero Cities
Doughnut Economics Action Lab
4th Youth Assembly on Climate Change with the participation of University Students - Eliamep
Nick Reece reveals plan to make Melbourne the “Garden City” - Southbank Local News
Melbourne Renewable Energy Project 
Disinformation and the City - Melbourne Centre for Cities
What should Melbourne be like in 2050? - Docklands News
M2050 Summit Report
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

What links the Paris Agreement, Barbie and Arnold Schwarzenegger? The answer is this week’s guest on Cities 1.5!
As a key architect of the Paris Agreement, Catherine McKenna - Canada’s former Minister for Climate Change and the Environment - reflects on why cities are now the true engines of delivery. There’s also a powerful exploration of Catherine’s new memoir, Run Like a Girl, and a firsthand account of why we cannot solve the climate crisis while leaving half the world’s population out of the corridors of power. It’s time to lead like a girl.
Featured guest:
Hon. Catherine McKenna, Chair of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Commitments of Non-State Entities and host of Women Leading on Climate podcast
Audio clips:
Environment minister tells Rebel Media reporter to stop calling her 'Climate Barbie' - CBC News
Links:
What justice for women in Afghanistan? - Swiss Info
Inside the C40 World Mayors Summit - Cities 1.5
It’s Grand Ol’ Bargain, Alright - Hot Takes
Canada’s former climate minister on making a change, ‘aloof’ Trudeau and sexism - The Guardian
Integrity Matters: Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities - United Nations website
Paris climate deal - The Guardian
Breaking the Tragedy of the Horizon - Mark Carney speech
Meet the young climate activists behind Mathur et. al. v. His Majesty - Ecojustice
Why would anyone hate Catherine McKenna? - Maclean’s
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

In a world where climate emergencies are being declared daily, why do so many of our city streets and public transport networks have misleading ads for the very industries driving the crisis?
Our conversation with two C40 experts reveals how the fossil fuel industry mirrors old tobacco industry tactics using sophisticated techniques to "greenwash" their image and frame essential health protections as attacks on free speech. Tune in to learn how cities reclaiming the narratives in our transit systems and urban squares is a vital step toward fending off industry attacks and securing a safer, more sustainable future for all.
Featured guests:
Mariana Batista, C40 Senior Manager, Public Transport
Charlie Worthington, C40 Project Officer, High Carbon Advertising Bans
Links:
The War Against Tobacco: 50 Years and Counting - National Library of Medicine
How the Fossil Fuel Industry Polluted the Information Landscape - Center for Climate Change Communication
Air pollution from fossil fuels kills 5 million people a year - The Guardian
In The Hague, ban on Big Oil ads survives legal challenge - Courthouse News
Profitable Growth Without Fossil Fuels - Clean Creatives
Frequently Asked Questions - A World Without Fossil Fuel Ads
Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change - UNESCO
Cities Climate Transition Framework - C40 Knowledge Hub
Clearing the way: A toolkit for positive, fossil-free city advertising - C40 Knowledge Hub
How cities can restrict carbon-intensive advertising - C40 Knowledge Hub
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Hot Take: the climate crisis isn’t some abstract data point or a dry policy debate, it’s a deeply human story of survival. Right now, a whole generation is growing up inside the emergency, doing the heavy lifting to fix a mess they didn't create. We’re bringing you the raw, human heartbeat of the movement and amplifying the voices that stole the show at the World Mayor’s Summit in Rio. The C40 Youth Hub members dive into what real intergenerational collaboration looks like when those with the biggest stake in the future are finally the ones leading the change.
Youth Moment featured leaders:
Juliet Oluoch, Research fellow, Ufanisi Research Network
Anjali Raman-Middleton, Co-founder and Director, Choked Up
Esther Kamara, Founder of Youth Initiative For Climate Action Sierra Leone
Foday Kamara, National Coordinator, Youth Climate Council Global Alliance
Letícia Mathias, Co-founder and Executive Director, Instituto SustentAção
Micheala Chan, Young Water Utilities Expert for the Pacific, Asian Development Bank
Featured interview guest:
Earl Aldrin Burgos. C40 Youth Engagement and Campaigns Manager
Links:
World Mayors Summit special - Cities 1.5
US cities as climate first responders - Cities 1.5
C40 Youth Moment - YouTube 
Youth Hub - C40
Youth Engagement Playbook for Cities - C40
Loss and Damage: Challenges and Opportunities for City Leadership
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/