Urban climate insurgencies

According to the United Nations, cities are responsible for up to 75 percent of contemporary carbon emissions, with transport and buildings being among the largest contributors. The worsening climate emergency is driving the proliferation and increasing political prominence of urban insurgencies around the world, particularly among the peoples of the global South. Contributors to this special issue explore the rise of grassroots movements that advocate for radical climate change politics and justice in cities affected by the intensifying climate emergency. Topics include pro-poor politics in northern Jakarta and Bangalore, the popular response to a garbage crisis in Naples, community-led reforestation efforts in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, and efforts to bridge antiracist and environmentalist struggles in California. Noting that environmental policy is no longer the exclusive province of national governments, international agreements, and panels of experts, the contributors seek to determine how urban insurgent movements differ from those unfolding at other scales.