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·       Learn more about the Signify 2040 Climate Transition Plan

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Opinion polls in every EU member state anticipate that the 2024 European Parliament elections will result in a shift to the right. Statistical models forecast gains by the right and losses by center, left and green parties. The election results will have implications on coalitions, alignments, and national debates within EU member states.

Link to the blog page

Commitments made through the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate Energy (GCoM) and the C40 Cities underline the key role of cities in transforming formal agreements into real action. Cities can institute and build on changes quickly, especially with the support of national and international entities, which can provide financial and logistical support to power innovation.

relevant links:

• United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) 
• The C40 Leadership Standards 2021-20-2024
• The NetZeroCities project
• 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030
• Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
• ENI CBC Med GreenBuilding program
• The Greater Irbid climate action plan
• Whitepaper Building truly sustainable cities 

Important links:
recent McKinsey study
study submitted for the Steel Manufacturers Association

References

• Interact City connected lighting: Improved sustainability and community equity
• Signify Green Switch program
• Signify Interact connected lighting system
• Signify’s BrightSites solution 

Written by

Sue Weekes 

News Editor,
SmartCitiesWorld

SmartCitiesWorld White Papers examine an emerging or growing trend in smart cities, highlighting progress so far and future development, as well as spotlighting case studies from cities around the world. In this report, we explore how cities are building sustainability into their indoor and outdoor environments. 

www.smartcitiesworld.net 

The word “revolution” points towards fundamental shifts in thinking or activities that cause fundamental changes in socioeconomic status. The impacts of each of the four industrial revolutions continue to ripple into the present and future. 

As industrial economies progressed, people began to enjoy better lifestyles as access to lower-cost, mass-produced goods improved. Manufacturers and producers worked to sell the maximum number of products at the lowest possible cost. Higher salaries and better living conditions prompted an increase in population and the growth of metropolitan areas. Improved infrastructure, breakthrough scientific discoveries, and new technologies made travel and communication easier. The world became a smaller place.  

An article published in the Economist in November 2023

References

• The Economist article
• Green Switch 
• Interact connected lighting system

References

• Interact City connected lighting: Improved sustainability and community equity
• Signify Green Switch program
• Signify Interact connected lighting system
• Signify’s BrightSites solution 
• A Study of Office Worker Performance and the Indoor Environment
• The University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf study
• Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) Interact system deployment
• The Vredenbergh care home in Breda in the Netherlands NatureConnect introduction

Good change management depends on creating awareness about the need for change, building the desire of all stakeholders for change, and acquiring knowledge about the change.

The change management process continues by constantly gathering feedback to ensure that adoption and usage occur.

Link to the blog page

As the winter season approaches in the northern hemisphere, the longer nights and shorter days require preparation and vigilance.
An additional twist exists for this winter in North America. The prospect of a historically strong El Nino event with its resulting cold and hot snaps adds another predictable—yet unpredictable—element. Ongoing regional wars—and the use of energy supplies as threats—add another layer of unpredictability to winter.

Save energy and keep the lights on

Some municipalities have tried to save energy by turning their lights off altogether, but this is not a viable solution for several reasons. Streets need illumination at night for safety, schools need light so that students can learn, hospitals need light for treatment and recovery, and public and commercial buildings need light so that people can perform their jobs properly and productively. 

Listen and learn more.
Link to the blog page 

References

• UN announcement world’s population 
• Signify Green Switich program
• Cities use around 78% of the world's energy, accounting for more than 60% of its greenhouse gas emissions
• EU's Smart Cities research 
• The Economist article
• Many street lighting projects improve a city’s security. 
• Knittelfield project
• Interact
• Bund area of Shanghai

Read our white paper Good connectivity: a key to decarbonizing the building sector here

Do you want to know more, go to our blog page where you can find relevant (source) links for more reading.

Seemingly continuous weather events—sometimes accompanied by rolling blackouts-- have stimulated greater public interest in climate responsibility. Companies that invest in green technologies –technologies and sciences that reduce human impacts on the natural environment--can reduce energy consumption, and have a direct impact where it is highly visible—for example, in the reliability and resilience of the electrical grid.

Do you want to know more, go to our blog page where you can find relevant (source) links for more reading.

Climate Week NYC kicks off on the September 16, 2023, with an important theme: “We Can. We Will.”Leading politicians, businesses, and investors will be in attendance.

Relevant links:
the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) 
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
the Business Council for Sustainable Energy

Link to the blogpost which comes with the relevant links for more information

The link to the white paper can be found here.

Listen and learn more.

Links to relevant source information can be found on the blog page. 

To kick off this new series with Toby Morgan from Climate Group and Harry Verhaar from Signify. 

Science is clear that we must drastically reduce our emissions if we are to avoid the disastrous effects of climate change. To reach net zero by 2050, we must act now, reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. This commitment requires that we act with the conviction that the economy will transform into a very different model.  

40% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings and, if left unchecked, they're set to double by 2050. Energy efficiency has a vital role to play in lowering energy demand, reducing emissions and driving the clean energy transition. 

In the first of this series of conversations, we get under the skin of corporate and municipal climate action, discussing how public and private organizations can work together to remove barriers and accelerate climate action in the built environment.  

- Aligning individual, municipal and corporate action  
- Four building blocks of successful climate action 
- Delivering a just energy transition 
- Beyond efficiency - new business models for the sustainable economy

#BrighterConversation #BrighterLivesBetterWorld #WeAreSignify 

On 20 June every year, the world marks World Refugee Day to honor the strength and courage of refugees, create awareness of the plight of people forced to flee, and advocate for refugees’ right to safety.

links
the Global Trends Report 2021 from the UNHCR
the 2022 compendium on the Safe from the Start program
Signify Foundation

Interact connected lighting system and management software provides a robust infrastructure to improve city services, enhance citizen sense of safety, beautify public spaces and encourage civic pride. With over 3 million streetlight points connected today, Interact is the leading connected lighting system which reduces energy costs and increases efficiency enabling customers to reinvest savings in new smart city projects.   TerraGo StreetlightOps is the industry’s only software platform dedicated specifically to meet the unique challenges of smart streetlight deployment and operations. With over 5 million streetlights under management today, StreetlightOps delivers out-of-the-box integration with Interact APIs and a host of features designed, tested and operationally-proven smart streetlight operations.

Learn how the combination of Interact APIs and TerraGo’s StreetlightOps software can help accelerate energy savings, reduce maintenance expenses and increase environmental benefits with two smart streetlighting and connected infrastructure technology experts: Yong Liang Eng, the Global Segment Director - Cities at Signify, and Dave Basil, the President & CEO at TerraGo.

More information can be found on the Interact website and the TerraGo website

• Getting in touch with nature - or going for a ‘Nature connect’ barefoot walk that stimulates the soles of your feet, Hugging a tree, talking to plants, growing your own vegetables in the office/ your homes etc.
• Living a life without medication - which would mean a deep look into the nutritional value of foods served in the cafeteria
• Stressing on the importance of getting in touch with your inner self through yoga and meditation 
• Being minimalistic in our homes and work habits – from minimizing our waste and pushing to adopt clean energy with a zero-carbon impact on our world.
• Being a global citizen – contributing and supporting the global community and disengaging from geopolitics.

This system exists in societies which have living traditions — the human population therein learnt its limits. It sensed that key resources — clean water, air, food and energy — needed for survival are scarce. 
Hence, these societies used these in prudent ways. Farmers would therefore rotate crops in agriculture, city dwellers would preserve rainwater, etc.

And finally - here is a solution that has been heavily ignored and should be considered an important aspect of workplace planning

Most times we are inside a conditioned space with artificial light and air for a minimum of 8 hours a day – so maybe we need to mandatorily conduct our work outside of the office on a regular basis, build outdoor meeting spaces or collaborate in a natural setting or it could be under a tree …. Maybe a Bodhi tree, after all the BUDDHA found enlightenment under one!

How cities can become climate action heroes (make the green switch, lights on, carbon off)

Why connected LED lighting should be the starting point for contending with climate change and the energy crisis—an exclusive insight report in collaboration with Smart Cities World.

SmartCitiesWorld Insight Reports examine an emerging or growing trend in smart cities, highlighting progress so far and future development, as well as spotlighting case studies from cities around the world. In this report, we explore how cities can act now on climate change and the energy crisis through the implementation of smart lighting technology.

A library of Great Lectures: https://www.signify.com/global/lighting-academy/

More about our UV-C offering: https://www.lighting.philips.com/main/products/uv-disinfection