Global Report on Human Settlements 2011

The Report argues that, with increasing urbanization, understanding the impacts of climate change on the urban environment will become even more important. Evidence is mounting that climate change presents unique challenges for urban areas and their growing populations. These impacts are a result of the following climatic changes:

• Warmer and more frequent hot days and nights over most land areas;
• Fewer cold days and nights in many parts of the world;
• Frequency increases in warm spells/heat waves over most land areas;
• Increased frequency of heavy precipitation events over most areas;
• Increase in areas affected by drought;
• Increases in intense tropical cyclone activity in some parts of the world; and
• Increased incidence of extreme high sea levels in some parts of the world.