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| Cool Cities : Urban Sovereignty and the Fix for Global Warming
ISBN: 9780300228113
Platform/Publisher: Ebook Central / Yale University Press
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Limited; Download: 7 Days at a Time
Subjects: Science: Physics; Science; Social Science;
In this cautionary and prescriptive volume, CUNY senior research scholar Barber (If Mayors Ruled the World) lays out a strong argument for civic engagement and personal responsibility in the ongoing fight against climate change. He bemoans the limits of national and international politics, encouraging local efforts instead: "Let mayors and their neighbors, the citizens of the world's cities, address climate, regulate carbon, and guarantee sustainability through cooperative action." Celebrating what he terms "bottom-up politics," Barber devotes a sizable chunk of the book to examining concrete solutions that people can implement in their backyards and "strategies cities can actually use to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change." The key is to determine what works best where. For example, bike-share programs will be more successful in flatter Manhattan than hilly San Francisco or sprawling Los Angeles. Meanwhile, places such as Providence, R.I., have uncovered rivers and moved highways to increase biodiversity, improve air quality, and ease traffic. Barber outlines numerous other policies that city governments can consider, including divestment from carbon energy companies, bans on fracking, and rethinking and overhauling green infrastructures. Offering pragmatic ideas to solve complicated issues, Barber challenges readers to exert influence on their localities and gives them reasons to be hopeful. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Benjamin Reynolds Barber was born in Manhattan, New York on August 2, 1939. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from Grinnell College in 1960 and a master's degree in government in 1963 and a doctorate in 1966 from Harvard University. In 1969, he began teaching political science at Rutgers University, where he was the director of the Walt Whitman Center for the Culture and Politics of Democracy for many years. In 2001, he joined the University of Maryland as the Kekst Professor of Civil Society. He was a political theorist and author. His books included Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age, The Conquest of Politics: Liberal Philosophy in Democratic Times, Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism Are Reshaping the World, The Truth of Power: Intellectual Affairs in the Clinton White House, Fear's Empire: War, Terrorism and Democracy, If Mayors Ruled the World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities, and Cool Cities: Urban Sovereignty and the Fix for Global Warming. In addition to his books, Barber was a frequent contributor to several magazines including The Atlantic, Harper's Magazine, and The New York Times. In 1974, he helped found the journal Political Theory, which he edited for the next decade. He coauthored the prize-winning, ten-part PBS/CBC television series The Struggle for Democracy. He died from pancreatic cancer on April 24, 2017 at the age of 77. (Bowker Author Biography) |
