Context:
The UN-Habitat’s “World Cities Report 2024: Cities and Climate Action” reveals a critical dynamic: while cities are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, they also suffer disproportionately from the impacts of climate change. This report underscores the urgent need for targeted climate action within urban areas to mitigate these effects and transition towards sustainability.
Relevance:
GS III: Environment and Ecology
Dimensions of the Article:
- Key Findings of the World Cities Report 2024
- United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
Key Findings of the World Cities Report 2024
The World Cities Report 2024 provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and opportunities cities will face by 2040 due to climate change. Here are the critical insights from the report:
Climate Impact on Urban Areas
- Temperature Increases: By 2040, nearly two billion people in urban settings will face a temperature rise of at least 0.5°C, which could exacerbate living conditions and increase energy demands for cooling.
- Shift in Climate Patterns: Approximately 14% of cities will experience drier climates, while around 900 cities are expected to see a shift towards more humid, tropical climates.
- Rising Sea Levels: More than 2,000 cities, particularly those in low coastal areas and less than 5 meters above sea level, will expose over 1.4 billion people to increased risks from sea-level rise and storm surges.
Urban Contribution to and Risks from Climate Change
- Disproportionate Impact: Urban areas not only contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions but are also highly vulnerable to climate-induced shocks like floods and cyclones.
- Financial Shortfall for Climate Resilience: An estimated $4.5 to $5.4 trillion per year is required to develop climate-resilient infrastructures in cities. However, the current financing is drastically lower, at just $831 billion annually.
Increased Flood Risk and Urban Sprawl
- Growing Flood Exposure: Since 1975, flood exposure has increased 3.5 times faster in urban areas than in rural areas. By 2030, 517 million urban residents will be at risk of riverine flooding.
- Decline in Green Spaces: Urban greenery has decreased from 19.5% in 1990 to 13.9% in 2020, intensifying environmental issues and reducing quality of life in cities.
Socioeconomic Impacts
- Vulnerability of Informal Settlements: Informal settlements are particularly vulnerable to climate impacts due to their precarious locations and lack of legal recognition, which inhibits residents’ ability to invest in property improvements.
- Green Gentrification: Efforts to introduce green infrastructure like parks can lead to green gentrification, where the original, less affluent residents are displaced by wealthier newcomers, further complicating social dynamics in cities.
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
- The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities.
- UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system.
- UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities.
- UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty.
Mission
UN-Habitat works in over 90 countries to promote transformative change in cities and human settlements through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance and collaborative action.
UN-Habitat’s strategic plan 2020-2023 adopts a more strategic and integrated approach to solving the challenges and opportunities of twenty-first century cities and other human settlements. UN-Habitat’s mission embodies the four main roles of the organization, which can be summarized as: think, do, share, and partner.
- THINK: UN-Habitat’s normative work, including groundbreaking research and capacity-building, sets standards, proposes norms and principles, shares good practice, monitors global progress and supports formulation of policies related to sustainable cities and human settlements.
- DO: UN-Habitat’s operational work takes various forms of technical assistance, drawing on its unique expertise in sustainable urbanization and crisis response. UN-Habitat implements projects to provide value-added and tailored support to countries.
- SHARE: Through advocacy, communication and outreach, UN-Habitat mobilizes public, political and financial support and collaborative action to inspire qualitative change in national development plans, policy frameworks, development practice and investment choices for sustainable urban development at the local, national and global level.
- PARTNER: UN-Habitat collaborates with governments, intergovernmental, UN agencies, civil society organizations, foundations, academic institutions and the private sector to achieve enduring results in addressing the challenges of urbanization.
-Source: Down To Earth
