Cities Will Be Hit Hardest By Climate Change, UN Report Warns

A flood in Feni City, Bangladesh. Bangladesh, which is one of the most climate-sensitive regions in the world, is particularly vulnerable to climate shocks, such as rising sea levels. Credit: UNICEF/Alaa Seoudy

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 7 2024 (IPS)

Cities are in a unique position, simultaneously the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses and the most affected areas of the greenhouse effect. As a new UN report shows that rapid urbanization and industrialization have adverse effects on the environment, causing a rise in sea levels, prolonged rainfalls and flooding, and an increase in overall temperature. The coastal areas that cities most often inhabit face the brunt of these effects, with marginalized populations being the most vulnerable.

The United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) World Cities Report 2024 details a comprehensive list of findings from studies that focused on the relationship between urban development, climate change, and the exacerbation of existing inequalities.

The report stresses the urgency of action to alleviate the climate crisis. 2023 was recorded as the hottest year in human history, making humanitarian organizations, climate groups and world leaders fear that the climate crisis could threaten “civilization collapse”.

“The global rise in temperatures continues unabated, leading to a recurring and escalating trend of extreme weather events—heatwaves, hurricanes, storms, floods, fires and other hazards—posing severe threats to lives, livelihoods and well-being, especially among marginalized populations. The vulnerabilities of these communities mean that routine weather events can become full blown humanitarian crises, with their attendant impacts: loss of lives, property destruction and displacement,” says the report.

According to figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the first two decades of the 21st century have been approximately 1°C hotter than the century preceding it. Key findings from the World Cities Report project that if the world follows its current global practices, more than 2 billion people would be exposed to hotter climates. 99 percent of all urban populations would be subjected to more arid climates.

Climate change in urban environments is projected to generate massive losses for the global economy. It is estimated that by 2030, annual losses from global heating and natural disasters could reach over 430 billion dollars. By 2050, it is estimated that extreme weather events associated with the greenhouse effect could destroy over 25 trillion dollars’ worth of housing.

In addition, the rising temperatures in cities create a host of problems for both civilians and urban infrastructure. It is estimated that over 180 million people in cities around the world would face water scarcity due to urban water reserves drying up or becoming compromised. Hotter temperatures also lead to a higher demand for cooling, which can exhaust local power grids, resulting in blackouts.

“When buildings, homes and vital infrastructure like water and transportation systems are poorly planned, built and managed, they are no match for climate-fueled disasters like rising seas, heatwaves, and other extreme weather impacts. This challenge disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable people,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Rising sea levels are of particular concern for urban developments. According to the IPCC, average worldwide sea level is projected to rise between 0.43 and 0.84 meters by 2100, in relation to the sea level in 1986-2005. The impacts of this will affect coastal communities the most. According to C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group Inc., a coalition of 96 cities around the world that amount to one twelfth of the world’s population, by the year 2050 over 800 million people from 570 cities will live in cities that are impacted by coastal inundation. Furthermore, estimates suggest that rising sea levels could cause over 1 trillion dollars in damages by the midpoint of the century.

In the United States, for instance, New York and Miami are projected to face a rise in global sea level that is three times faster than average. South Asian cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai, and Dhaka, are expected to have the highest number of civilians at risk of coastal inundation, between 11 and 14 million.

Flooding and natural disasters are also a concerning byproduct of climate change that will have adverse effects on urban environments. According to the report, exposure to flooding from climate change has grown significantly in urban areas from lower income countries. For urban communities, exposure to floods is expected to grow 20 percent by 2025 and another 20 percent by 2030.

In 2023, it was reported that 1,700 people were killed by climate driven flooding in Pakistan. In late October of this year, Spain’s residential province Valencia was struck with prolonged torrential rains and flooding that killed over 200 people and caused billions of dollars in damages. Hurricane Rafael, an ongoing tropical cyclone, is expected to cause significant flooding and hazardous weather conditions in cities along the Gulf of Mexico and the Bay County area.

Historically, marginalized communities have been disproportionately affected by climate driven disasters in urban environments. Facing systemic inequalities and limited access to basic services, vulnerable groups are having their issues greatly exacerbated by rising temperatures. According to UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach, women, children, people with disabilities, older people, migrants, minorities, indigenous people, and individuals living below the poverty line are typically situated in areas that are particularly environmentally sensitive and lack protective structures. Additionally, these groups are less likely to receive support.

According to the World Cities Report, communities in slums face an “unrelenting cycle of hardship”. Due to relying on agriculture or other climate-sensitive industries for income, certain urban communities are kept in a state of poverty. These communities often live in areas with low drainage or sanitation, few to no medical and educational facilities, and in low quality housing that is highly susceptible to destruction from extreme weather events.

This comes with a host of adverse health effects as well. Climate change exacerbates unsafe working conditions for lower income communities, with death and injury being frequent. Climate shocks, like storms, heatwaves, and floods cause large scale food system disruptions, leading to hunger and famine. Food security continues to be a major issue for marginalized groups in urban areas.

Furthermore, water reserves in slums are often compromised by extreme weather events and lack governmental support to rectify these issues. This leads to the spread of vector-borne diseases. Health complications, such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and mental health issues, run rampant in these areas as well, with limited to no access to healthcare or medications.

In order to prevent a wide scale loss of human life in urban environments, it is crucial to address these systemic inequalities and begin adopting healthier global practices to mitigate the greenhouse effect. “City and local leaders must also continue to be at the forefront of the fight against climate change. In many cases, cities are going further and faster than national governments in limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The success or failure of new national climate plans will be realized at the community level, and local leaders must be involved every step of the way,” said Guterres.

IPS UN Bureau Report