Cities and climate action

It is especially urgent to put in place the right urban policies, legislation and finance to leverage housing and basic services as key instruments through which climate action is enabled. Promoting energy-efficient and durable housing and construction has tremendous potential to advance climate action. Investing in basic services especially energy, water and sanitation and transport with a view to mitigate and adapt to climate is essential. It is equally critical to ensure that urban land is used to maximize its social, economic and ecological functions for more compact growth that improves energy consumption, affordability, economic value and accessibility in cities. These vast opportunities that cities offer to achieve broader global goals for climate change are too often overlooked and untapped. It is time to unlock this potential.
At the same time, caution is needed in accelerating climate adaptation and mitigation efforts in cities to avert unintended and exclusionary
consequences. When protective disaster infrastructure is constructed in cities, poor households, and those living in informal settlements and
slums may find themselves evicted or more exposed if such communities are not factored into the design. Further, sustainable buildings and
construction measures may be expensive and compromise affordability. The phenomenon of “green gentrification” and the exclusionary effects of rising house prices that it can bring in its wake is one such case. This is why the planning and implementation of both adaptation and mitigation measures must be locally-led, with those traditionally sidelined from decision-making given centre stage. While climate action requires urgent global solidarity, it must also involve critical stakeholders at the local level. Developing improved mechanisms for dialogue and identification of solutions with civil society and grassroots organizations is key. Ultimately, a people-centred approach is key, placing social aspects and inclusion at the centre of climate action in cities and beyond.
In this regard, while much of the contents of this edition of the World Cities Report is sobering, there is also cause for optimism. It offers a
comprehensive overview of what needs to be done at the international, national and local level to achieve the change needed to respond
adequately to the climate crisis. While the work required is wideranging, from revitalized, multi-stakeholder governance frameworks to a
significant increase in both the quantity and quality of finance available to fund city-led climate action, the benefits this will bring could be truly transformative. Indeed, the push to achieve climate resilience cannot be separated from the agenda of sustainable cities and human settlements as envisioned in the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 11.
What is clear is that climate change is already upon us. For those city dwellers caught on the frontline of the various catastrophes playing
out in cities—houses destroyed by cyclones, roads melted by extreme heat, entire settlements inundated in flood water denial or delay is
not an option. We already have the solutions to act, should we so wish. As documented in this report, with the right will and resources, cities and communities are already proving their ability to deliver innovative, inclusive and scalable approaches to climate resilience that point the way forward to a thriving urban future. We do not need to wait for a silver bullet to be invented: instead, drawing on the prescriptions in these pages, and together through stronger coalitions, we can and we must have the courage to take action today for the sake of present and future generations.

source:

https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2024/11/wcr2024_-_full_report.pdf