09/30/2026
Cities across the US are grappling with increasing climate risks, aging energy infrastructure, and rising costs hampered by financial and governance constraints.
“How can cities make energy accessible and affordable when cities themselves do not control the energy system,” asks Alexis Abramson, Columbia Climate School Dean and sustainable energy technology expert.
During , Ann Arbor mayor Christopher Taylor, Atlanta chief sustainability officer Chandra Farley, and New York public utility advocate Annel Hernandez joined professor of climate Sheila Foster to share the ways they are working at the local level to improve energy efficiency, reduce costs, and overcome challenges.
The conversation is connected to the ongoing work at Columbia University through Cities Uniting to Reduce Energy Insecurity (CUREi)—led by Sheila Foster and Diana Hernández of Mailman School of Public Health and the Energy Opportunity Lab at the Center on Global Energy Policy. CUREi convenes researchers and city partners to better understand and reduce household energy insecurity.
Learn more via State of the Planet:
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/09/29/columbia-climate-school-hosts-city-leaders-to-address-energy-affordability-and-climate-action/
📷 In conversation at Cities, Energy Affordability and Climate Action, from left to right, Annel Hernandez, Chandra Farley, Sheila Foster, and Christopher Taylor. Credit: David White Photography
