Energy in the Ecopolis Sara C Bronin, University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut From the SelectedWorks of Sara C. Bronin June, 2015 Energy in the Ecopolis Sara C Bronin, University of Connecticut Available at: https://works.bepress.com/bronin/18/ Copyright © 2015 Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR®, http://www.eli.org, 1-800-433-5120. FROM THE 2015 AALS ANNUAL MEETING Energy in the Ecopolis by Sara C . Bronin Sara C . Bronin is Professor of Law at the University of Connecticut . I. Introduction natural ecosystems . And cities’ explosive growth predicted for the next several decades will necessitate urban adapta- Climate change, resource scarcity, and environmental tion and response . By 2014, over one-half of the world’s population already lived in cities3; the United Nations degradation demand a paradigm shift in urban develop- 4 ment . Currently, too many of our cities exacerbate these predicts that by 2050, two-thirds will . In real numbers, the urban population will increase by 2 5. billion people problems: they pollute, consume, and process resources in 5 ways that negatively impact our natural world . Cities of by 2050 . Experts agree that we are experiencing the most the future must make nature their model, instituting circu- rapid population growth in human history, which may yield potentially catastrophic impacts on both the environ- lar metabolic processes that mimic, embrace, and enhance 6 nature . In other words, a city must be a regenerative city or, ment and on human quality of life . Even with the popula- as some say, an “ecopolis ”. 1 tion as it stands today, global cities are hardly sustainable, Why focus on cities? Cities hold the greatest promise for much less regenerative .
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