Cohort 2024/2025: Climate Change, Energy Security, and Sustainability
The issues of climate change, energy security, and sustainability are some of the biggest challenges facing politics and society today and in the future. Climate change and environmental degradation have serious socio-economic consequences. They affect global food security, destroy jobs, and damage human health and well-being. The sustainable production and secure supply of energy, such as wind and solar energy, combined with conventional energy generation, the expansion of the electricity grid, the reduction of electricity consumption and CO2 emissions, and the modernization of buildings and transport systems are among the major tasks of our time.
An important cross-cutting topic is digitalization, where AI offers significant potential to combat the climate crisis by optimizing resource use, identifying early environmental measures, and uncovering CO2 savings. However, this comes with high electricity and resource demands, for example in data centers. Rapid advances in machine learning and data processing introduce both challenges and solutions to pressing environmental and climate issues.
The imperative to address climate change is now more pressing than ever. With 2022 recognized as the sixth warmest year on record, the scientific community is questioning the feasibility of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Urban areas, responsible for approximately 80 percent of global energy consumption and resource use, must therefore play a pivotal role in climate action. The strategic focus on cities is essential to drive sustainable solutions and mitigate the impacts of climate change effectively. What measures must cities take to protect themselves from the adverse effects of climate change? How must the city of “tomorrow” be designed to ensure climate resilience and energy supply? The first year of the project, under the theme “The Just City”, brings together 20 city stakeholders from Berlin, New Delhi, Nairobi, and Mexico City who will focus on climate change, energy security, and sustainability.
Why these cities? All of them face unique and shared challenges, making them ideal testing grounds for innovative solutions. New Delhi, the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, along with Nairobi and Mexico City, are grappling with extreme weather conditions of severe heat and rainfall. Yet these cities are thriving, adapting to the challenges and offering opportunities for sustainable development. Delhi’s rapid urbanization, Nairobi’s renewable energy innovations, and Mexico City’s focus on sustainable urban planning amid rising CO2 emissions and disasters offer valuable insights and new solutions. Meanwhile, Berlin faces the challenge of increasing heatwaves and the need to adapt its infrastructure. Nevertheless, it continues to be a pioneer in innovation and modernization, driven by its progressive policies and many research institutions.
By innovating urban planning and fostering global collaboration, cities can tackle cross-border challenges and develop sustainable solutions that can transform into models of resilience and inclusivity.
The Publication for this cohort is out now. Read it here:
Aspen Germany is delighted to welcome the participants of the first cohort:
Berlin
- Dr. Cornelia Auer (Senior Scientist, Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research and Spokesperson, Climate Council of the Berlin Senate)
- Andreas Grau (Senior Expert, Center for Sustainable Communities, Bertelsmann Stiftung)
- Dr. Jens Libbe (Member of the Institute Management and Head of Department, Infrastructure, Economics and Finance, German Institute of Urban Affairs)
- Katharina Lind (Co-Founder and General Partner, 2bX)
- Dr. Stefan Taschner (Spokesperson for Climate Protection & Energy, Animal Welfare, and One World Policy for the parliamentary group of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, Berlin House of Representatives)
Mexico-City
- Rafael Carmona Dávila (Co-Founder and CTO, GreenMomentum Inc.)
- Dr. Jorge Carlos Díaz Cuervo (Rector, Universidad de la Libertad and Vice President, Urbanists Association of Mexico)
- Mariana Gutiérrez Grados (Climate Transparency and Policy Manager, Mexico Climate Initiative)
- Victoria Orozco (Founder and Director, Punto Labs)
- Ricardo Samaniego-Breach (Retd. Economics Professor, Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico)
Nairobi
- Kevin Lunzalu (Co-Founder, Kenyan Youth Biodiversity Network)
- Dr. Arthur Munyua Mwaura (Chairman, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Nairobi)
- Passy Amayo Ogolla (Programme Manager, Society for International Development Regional Office for Africa)
- Anna Adoyo Otieno (Technical Environment Officer, Climate Change and Air Quality Monitoring Unit, Nairobi City County Government)
- Dianne Priscilla Wakonyo (Researcher, Asphalt & Ink)
New-Delhi
- Himanshi Bahl (Senior Associate, Attero Recycling)
- Nitin Bassi (Senior Programme Lead, Sustainable Water Team, Council on Energy, Environment and Water)
- Chetan Bhattacharji (Climate Journalist and Communications Consultant)
- Paramita Datta Dey (Head, Resources and Waste Unit, National Institute of Urban Affairs)
- Neha Mehta (CEO and Founder, FemTech Partners and Author of One Stop)
Project trip of the 2024/2025 Future Cities Go Glocal cohort to Berlin
From March 25–29, 2025, the Aspen Institute Germany hosted an in-person meeting in Berlin, Germany, bringing together all 20 urban stakeholders from the Future Cities Go Glocal project. The participants from Berlin, New Delhi, Nairobi, and Mexico City met with policymakers, city experts, and organizations to explore innovative urban solutions and visit local best practices in Berlin. The visits and discussions during the program focused on the key themes of climate change, energy security, sustainability as well as digitalization as a cross-cutting issue. The discussions provided an opportunity for participants to think about solutions to common challenges and further refine their policy recommendations for sustainable and just urban development.
The project is supported by the Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin.
