Commentary and Analysis

Although Congress has given greater resources to agencies that fight wildfires, we must go further: preventing or mitigating natural disasters must get the same resources and attention as our national security.

This week China formally inaugurated its new Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) to replace the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Lead doesn’t belong in water but it's showing up in Chicago’s water supply. A recent analysis found that hundreds of Chicagoans have been exposed to lead in their tap water.

Officials in Cape Town, South Africa, say they could soon be the first major city to run out of water. Michael Tiboris cites three reasons for this crisis.

Cities must step up when nation-states ignore the devastating impacts and economic costs of climate change, sea level rise, and environmental degradation.

Chicago elected officials and environmental leaders react to President Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord.

As cities across the nation overhaul their aging water systems, Chicago officials say it is up to homeowners to decide whether it is worth replacing pipes at their own expense.

The vulnerability of the U.S. electrical grid was illustrated in 2003, when the largest blackout in US history left 50 million people in darkness.

Threats like water scarcity, urbanization, and climate change require governments to be flexible, and to build flexibility into their institutions.

Cities—especially a select number of influential, or global, cities—will take their place alongside nation-states as key actors shaping our world.