Responding to the Urban Climate Challenge

Human-induced climate change, in conjunction with environmental degradation, will
have unavoidable effects on cities. UN-Habitat estimates that 70% of the world’s
population will live in urban areas by 2050, and approximately 60% of the growth is
expected to take place in Asia. Climate change will lead to warmer temperatures, greater
variability in local conditions, and changes in the frequency,
intensity, and location of precipitation and storms. Mediumsized
cities are growing particularly rapidly and lack the
resources of larger, more established cities to address the compounding
challenges of climate change, urbanization, poverty,
and environmental degradation. How will these cities manage
the stresses and respond to the inevitable shocks and surprises
of climate change while assuring the wellbeing of their growing
populations?: