Climate Change and Sustainability
The challenge of climate change has become increasingly important in both Glendale and Memmingen over the last few years.
While the fight against drought and securing the water supply are the dominant issues in Glendale, Memmingen is striving to reduce emissions and expand renewable energies. The approaches between the two cities vary; Glendale emphasizes economic development, while Memmingen focuses on stronger public governance in finding solutions to climate change.
Climate Change in Glendale
Climate change is a pressing issue for both Glendale and the state of Arizona in general. The 12-month average temperature has increased by 3.8°F from 1900 to 2022, with every month in 2022 recording a temperature above average. Annual precipitation has increased slightly over the historical period; however, official data from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that 37.2% of people in Maricopa County are directly affected by drought and inches of rainfall have dropped throughout the year.
"Drought Conditions for Maricopa County", National Integrated Drought Information System (drought.gov)
Solution and Sustainability Initiatives in Glendale
Responses to climate change challenges vary in Glendale. From a municipal perspective, a sub-administrative unit focuses public policy responses on improving air quality and, most importantly, securing water supplies. Nevertheless, the predominant political priority is further economic growth. This includes the response to climate change: moving from agriculture (more water-intensive) to other industries.
Glendale City Council Chamber
We got a different impression when we visited the ASU Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation. In this institute at Arizona State University, actors from science, administration, business, and civil society are brought together in interdisciplinary working groups to develop solutions for water, energy, transportation, and livability issues. The institute is convinced that the solution for sustainability is found in sustainable cities, where the majority of the world's population lives. Therefore, the solutions developed are intended to be used worldwide as potential best practices.
Water Issues in Glendale
Water usage is one of the most pressing issues in Arizona, a state where agriculture and residential areas compete heavily for limited water resources. About 80% of water supply goes to agriculture, and the rest is consumed by cities and communities. More than one-third of the supply comes from the Colorado River Basin, which in 2022 reached a critical low brought about by years of drought that can be attributed to climate change. Potentially hard choices between more economic growth and eliminating certain “thirsty” crops like cotton could be necessary, as mentioned by elected officials the group met, namely Glendale’s Mayor Jerry Weiers and staff members of Senator Mark Kelly’s office. The project group noticed a nearby irrigation system turned on at night supplying large amounts of water from the Salt River Basin to nearby cotton and soy fields and close to a major entertainment district.
Further water conservation efforts in residential areas may include switching over to no grass yards and no private pools.
Climate Change & Sustainability in Memmingen
The challenges in Memmingen are different than those in Glendale. In terms of emissions, Memmingen performs poorly with 9.2 tonnes of CO2 emissions per inhabitant per year compared to the Bavarian average of 7.2 tonnes. One third of the emissions, 118,000 tonnes of CO2, are generated by inner-city traffic alone, which is due to the fact that 90.6% of traffic participants in Memmingen use cars as their main mode of transport. In the area of renewable energies, only 11.8% of the electricity consumed in 2018 came from renewable energies, placing Memmingen at the bottom of all municipalities in the Allgäu region.
Transport use in Memmingen in 2015, Data from the city of Memmingen
In terms of municipal policy, the issue of climate change has become more important in the last few years, and the public policy responses vary in comparison to Glendale. The administration has created capacities to develop solutions in cooperation with local civil society. One of these solutions is an urban climate concept, which, for instance, aims at eliminating the use of cars in the city center from 2025 onwards.
