This paper on cities and climate change, published by the British Council and Global Dashboard, explores the major challenges facing cities as unprecedented urbanization, resource scarcity and climate change combine to form an unstable blend of uncertainty, opportunities and risks.

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, unveiled proposals to set up a "retrofitting academy" to train an army of energy advisers as he aired his ambitions to place the city at the forefront of green industry. Johnson also vowed to push ahead with the retrofitting of buildings in London that in one way or another reside in the public sector – believed to be around 25% of all buildings in the capital.

Among other "green" initiatives being unveiled by Detroit's mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. are a few standouts, in terms of energy policy. He's creating an Office of Energy and Sustainability within the mayor's office, and a "Green Council" of representatives from city agencies to find ways to improve energy use in city buildings.

Changes in Portland, Ore. bureaus by mayor-elect Sam Adams reflect a commitment to sustainability as a guiding principle in planning decisions, not an add-on. Earlier this week, his office announced that the city's Office of Sustainable Development (created in 2000) would merge with the Bureau of Planning to form the Bureau of Sustainable Planning & Development.

Local Government Association/Energy Saving Trust conference and exhibition 2009: in the eye of the storm: councils at the heart of tackling climate change
This Local Government Association and Energy Saving Trust conference will focus on the opportunities and challenges in reducing emissions and planning to adapt. Councils are uniquely placed to deliver change but cannot do it alone, so the conference will also look at mobilising communities and businesses to take action.

In April 2008, the Darebin City Council received a report on the implication for Council of Global Peak Oil that it had commissioned in July 2007. They resolved to continue the city's existing programs that enhance the city's resilience in the face of peak oil and add to them emphasis on the energy issue, to advocate to state and federal government about peak oil, and to refer the development of an action plan to budget considerations.

More and more community leaders and citizens are re-thinking how local systems operate and realizing the environmental, financial and community health benefits of creating a more sustainable future for their citizens. Graduate students from Columbia University designed this handbook, released by the U.S. EPA, to help your city go green.

As the closest government level to citizens, municipal leaders can accelerate behavioural change within their community and can drive and implement effective actions. Local governments will offer national governments their partnership to limit global warming when nations gather at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland on 1-12 December 2008 to negotiate a new global climate agreement.

Local governments are facing serious economic challenges because of increased costs as well as decreased revenue. Furthermore, volatile and unpredictable energy costs are adding to these stresses on local government budgets. This conference will give your organization a head start in preparing for an uncertain future. Learn about actions that local government can take now to reduce energy costs.

New ordinances clear the way for residents in some Texas towns to install small-scale wind generation facilities on their properties. The equipment may be expensive, but demand is growing, and city officials say they want to make sure rules are in place for the day when wind energy devices become more commonplace.