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During European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s first term from 2019 to 2024, climate change was arguably at the top of the political agenda. The European Commission tabled a huge package of laws aimed at slashing emissions across the bloc, framing the new “Green Deal” as the backbone of a more prosperous European Union.

Today, things have changed. With Russia's war on Ukraine continuing, military conflict in the Middle East, and trade uncertainty caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs, climate seems to have slipped down the list of political priorities.

In Europe, the political debate is less about how to urgently slash emissions than how to boost military spending and reduce red/green tape to give businesses an edge in the global marketplace.

For Green Party politicians across the continent, this poses a problem, both environmentally and politically. How can green politicians marry the need to address climate change with current political priorities?

“The winds are not in our favour at the moment. We have war on European soil, and that has been challenging for Green parties internationally. We have prided ourselves on our pacifism. To look at people from Ukraine in the eye and say, ‘Actually, we support you in your fight against Russian aggression’ requires a change from ourselves in our approach.”

Ciarán Cuffe won a seat in the European Parliament in 2019, where he sat with the Greens/EFA group. Cuffe gained a reputation as a dedicated lawmaker, landing the role of chief negotiator on new EU rules to make buildings more energy efficient. However, despite his legislative achievements, Cuffe was not returned as an MEP in the 2024 elections. Today, he acts as the co-chair of the European Green Party.

In this episode of The Urban Report, Cuffe reflects on his experiences in the European Parliament, whether defence, competitiveness and climate concerns can co-exist politically, his new position with the European Greens, and the role of cities in pushing forward climate action.

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When it comes to reducing building emissions, knowing where to start is not always easy—buildings vary in size and shape, serve diverse purposes, and construction methods differ, sometimes quite drastically, by geographic location.

Given this diversity, what are the steps that we can take to reduce the carbon output of the built environment?

The Energy Transitions Commission, a coalition of stakeholders advocating for a faster global energy transition, produced a report outlining how we can achieve zero-carbon buildings globally.

The report tackles both the emissions from heating, cooling, and powering buildings—and the carbon footprint from constructing them in the first place.

“I think from a social justice angle, often the households who are living in the lowest quality, less energy-efficient homes, who will actually see the largest benefits from insulation and other retrofits, are also likely to have lower incomes. So, from this perspective, governments do have a role to play in terms of subsidising these retrofits.”

It outlines actions we can implement today to lower emissions, such as switching from gas boilers to electric heat pumps, and actions that may take longer to achieve, such as scaling low-carbon materials.

On this week’s episode, Min Guan, the Head of Systems Insights at the Energy Transitions Commission, joins Sean to discuss the report’s findings.

Min outlines how barriers to decarbonising the built environment can be overcome, covering topics such as encouraging the building industry to adopt low-carbon construction materials, unwarranted media criticism of heat pumps, and the role of the state in politically and financially supporting the shift to cleaner buildings.

“The reason why I'm optimistic is because the buildings transition is much more [than] about decarbonisation: it's about lowering energy bills and also improving air quality and creating a better environment and more comfortable buildings, and as a result of that you will also have the benefits of lower emissions.”

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Post World War II, American cities were the envy of the world. With booming industries, towering skyscrapers, and highways full of cars, US cities symbolised the country’s soaring quality of life. Today, however, the position of American cities has faded—many US urban centres grapple with vacant downtowns, stark inequality, and infrastructure straining under modern demands.

Across the Atlantic, Nordic cities like Copenhagen and Stockholm have pulled ahead, topping global livability rankings thanks to their emphasis on collective goods: efficient public transport, mixed-use neighbourhoods, and climate-resilient design.

Now, Bloxhub, a sustainable urbanisation hub, is introducing US cities to the Nordic urban development model, helping them to address their challenges with Scandinavian strategies.

“A saying in the Nordics is that people will use the infrastructure you give them. So, when you give them more lanes on the highway, they will be used. If you give them more bike infrastructure, it will be used. So, it's a matter of nudging people in the direction that you want them to go, and they'll probably utilise it.”

What can US cities looking to rejuvenate their fortunes learn from the Nordic model of urbanisation? And can a model built on shared space and high-trust governance work in a nation focused on car-centric planning and individualism?

Martine Reinhold Kildeby of Bloxhub joins the Urban Report to discuss how trust, collaboration, and "nudging" residents toward greener choices can reshape cities without upending local identities. From Detroit’s experiments with digital mobility solutions to Austin’s energy-efficient building retrofits, Nordic approaches are set to revitalise American urban areas.

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“There are many factors which contribute to the housing crisis. Maybe it is a lack of supply, a lack of new buildings. But in fact, I think it is also a lack of smartness—smartness in how we really use our existing housing stock," Oliver Rapf, the Executive Director of the Buildings Performance Institute Europe

For people across Europe, purchasing a property seems like a distant dream—urban housing costs are often multiples of the average salary, making affordability a serious problem.

Political parties have proposed various solutions to the housing crisis, including rolling back sustainability regulations on buildings. This, they argue, will “unleash” the construction sector, making it easier to build a large number of cheap homes.

Opponents of this strategy argue that it would significantly impact greenhouse gas emissions, exploding Europe’s carbon budget. Over the long run, when the added expense of higher heating and lighting bills is factored in, these homes may also be more expensive than originally promised.

“We definitely have the knowledge to solve the housing crisis and the political will, in my opinion, is emerging… A sustainable and affordable housing plan will improve the livelihood of all European citizens.”

The term “sufficiency” has additionally entered the debate—the concept that existing building space, if used more efficiently, can meet the needs of far more people than it currently does. The rise of working from home, for example, has altered the occupancy rates of offices, leading in some cases to their conversion to residential units.

To discuss how we can tackle Europe’s housing crisis without exacerbating the climate crisis, the concept of sufficiency, and more, Oliver Rapf, the Executive Director of the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), an independent think-tank, joins The Urban Report.

“Our limits are not defined by the structure which we have, but simply by our creativity. And I think that there are many architects, developers with a vision out there who can make a difference if they are provided the opportunity by the municipalities.”

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The energy used to heat, cool and power buildings is responsible for 28% of energy-related carbon emissions globally. Reducing the energy consumed in buildings, therefore, is an effective way to mitigate the climate impact of the building stock.

Installing power-efficient lighting, improving heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and introducing smart building solutions will not only cut climate-harming emissions but can save building owners significant costs through lower utility bills. The addition of solar panels and battery storage can further lower a building’s carbon footprint.

However, these energy-saving measures are often expensive to install, requiring a sizable upfront investment which may be outside of the reach of some building owners.

To address this, an “Energy as a Service” approach is proving increasingly popular to make it easier for building owners to cover the initial capital investment necessary to make their building more energy efficient. Essentially, the cost of the installation is financed over time by the savings generated by the energy efficiency measures themselves.

The approach has already been implemented in sites around the world. In the Javits Convention Centre in New York City, German engineering company Siemens installed the largest rooftop solar array and battery storage system ever seen in Manhattan. When finished, the centre will have more than 2000 solar panels, allowing it to primarily use cheap, clean energy.

Constantin Ginet, executive vice president of sustainability at Siemens Smart Infrastructure Buildings, joins The Urban Report to discuss how Energy as a Service can help lower buildings' carbon footprint by blending the costs of greater energy efficiency with the financial reward.

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Across Europe, the housing crisis is being felt deeply. Young people in particular are frequently unable to buy or rent a home close to their job or social ties, oftentimes leaving them stranded in their family home.

For the first time, the EU has taken on the challenge of the housing crisis, tasking Commissioner Dan Jørgensen with providing solutions.

While a slew of potential fixes are being considered, conservative politicians argue that the EU itself is partially responsible for the housing crisis, pointing the finger at environmental regulations crafted in Brussels. These green rules, they say, are making it expensive and difficult to build, preventing the market from meeting demand.

The key to solving the housing crisis, they claim, is to slash climate regulations on the construction and real estate sectors, which will help to unleash a wave of new construction.

However, a new report by independent climate think tank E3G finds that housing sustainability and affordability are not opposing forces, but rather can go hand-in-hand.

The report examined the housing situation in two European nations - Denmark and Poland - and found that EU legislation is playing a crucial role in ensuring that investments flow towards sustainable and affordable housing stock.

Weakening regulation, the report states, would risk market confusion and could slow progress, making the crisis even worse.

E3G’s Roxana Dela Fiamor, one of the report’s authors, joins the Urban Report to discuss how Europe’s climate and housing crises can be addressed in tandem.

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In Spain, the effects of climate change are shockingly apparent: cities across the Mediterranean country have seen property destroyed, lives lost, and urban areas devastated as a result of extreme weather and wildfires.

For local governments, the need to make their cities more resilient to phenomena like flooding, water scarcity, and forest fires is becoming more acute. Whilst adapting to these threats, city leaders are also tasked with urgently ramping up actions to cut climate-harming emissions.

One city that has a long history of taking sustainability seriously is Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the autonomous Basque Country region. In 2020, the city was crowned the greenest in Spain. It was also the recipient of the EU's European Green Capital Award in 2012 and the UN's Global Green City Award in 2019.

The Basque capital is known for its extensive array of connected parklands that circle the urban core, its efforts to shift to a more circular economy, and its embrace of sustainable mobility, including adopting the famous “superblocks” concept to calm traffic and prioritise pedestrians.

Aitor Zulueta, the director of the Climate Change office in Vitoria-Gasteiz, joins the Urban Report to discuss the future of local sustainability.

Zulueta touches on the need to act now rather than endlessly strategising about how to cut emissions in the future, the city's efforts to implement climate adaptation measures, and how local governments can be more receptive to the needs and desires of climate-concerned citizens.

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When it comes to why people opt for a petrol or diesel car over an electric vehicle (EV), one of the most common reasons is that the cost of an electric vehicle is still too high. However, new charging technology is set to bring down the total cost of EV ownership, making the switch to cleaner vehicles more attractive.

Flexible charging allows drivers to cut the expense of recharging by waiting until electricity prices are at their lowest. More advanced smart charging technology will soon enable drivers to use their car’s battery as a store of energy, selling electricity back to the grid when needed.

According to a new report produced by industry body Eurelectric and accounting and consultancy firm EY, drivers of large electric vehicles in Germany could earn up to €2900 a year by selling electricity back to the grid.

The report also finds that by providing flexibility when energy generation is low and demand is high, EVs can essentially help to balance the grid—a necessity as the proportion of renewable energy grows

Serge Colle, EY’s Global Power & Utilities Leader, joins the Urban Report to discuss the benefits of smart charging, the charging challenges facing urban dwellers, and the barriers to shifting to a more flexible charging system.

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