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The World Cities Report 2024, released by UN-Habitat, highlights the urgent need for cities to address climate change, both as victims and major contributors.

Key Findings of the Report

• Temperature Increases by 2040: Nearly 2 billion people living in urban areas are projected to face at least a 0.5°C rise in temperature by 2040, exposing them to heatwaves and other climate-related risks.
• Urban Vulnerability and Climate Risk:
  • Cities are disproportionately affected by climate change while being major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, which exacerbates their vulnerability to events like floods, cyclones, and heatwaves.
  • The urban population is facing a dual challenge: increased heat and extreme weather events such as flooding, cyclones, and erratic rainfall.
• Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Risks: Over 2,000 cities in low coastal areas, many located under 5 meters above sea level, are at heightened risk from sea-level rise and storm surges, potentially affecting more than 1.4 billion people by 2040.
• Riverine Flooding: Flood exposure in cities is growing 3.5 times faster than in rural areas, with 517 million people in urban areas projected to be exposed to riverine flooding by 2030.
• Investment Gap: Cities require between USD 4.5 trillion and USD 5.4 trillion annually to build and maintain climate-resilient systems, but current investments stand at only USD 831 billion, highlighting a massive funding shortfall.
• Decline in Urban Green Spaces: The average share of urban green spaces has dropped from 19.5% in 1990 to 13.9% in 2020, reducing cities' ability to absorb carbon, manage heat, and provide essential ecosystem services.
• Vulnerable Communities: Informal settlements and slums, often situated in environmentally sensitive areas, are disproportionately affected by climate impacts. These communities lack adequate infrastructure and are often unable to invest in necessary upgrades due to eviction fears or lack of legal recognition.
• Green Gentrification: While climate interventions like park creation can provide environmental benefits, they can also lead to green gentrification—displacing low-income households or increasing property values and rents, thus pricing vulnerable communities out.

Contributing Factors to Urban Global Warming

• Energy Consumption: Urban areas account for 71-76% of global CO? emissions from energy use, driven by dense populations, industrial activities, transportation, and high-energy demand for buildings.
• Industrial Activities: Urban industries and power plants release a variety of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including CO?, methane (CH?), and nitrous oxide (N?O).
• Land Use Changes: Urban expansion leads to deforestation and reduced carbon absorption, contributing to global warming. Urban land areas are expected to more than triple by 2050, accelerating environmental degradation.
• Waste Generation: Decomposing waste in landfills releases methane, a potent GHG, exacerbating the greenhouse effect.
• Urban Heat Island Effect: Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) occur when cities absorb and retain more heat due to their dense infrastructure (asphalt, concrete, and buildings), increasing local temperatures and energy consumption.

Impacts of Global Warming on Cities

• Heatwaves: Cities, especially in warmer regions like India, are experiencing more severe heatwaves and rising temperatures.
• Urban Heat Island Effect: UHIs increase the intensity of heatwaves, particularly in high-density cities, where buildings and roads trap heat, exacerbating energy demands and public health risks.
• Coastal Flooding: Rising sea levels threaten coastal cities with flooding and storm surges, displacing communities and disrupting economies.
• Wildfire Seasons: Warming temperatures and prolonged droughts increase the risk of wildfires in urban areas, particularly in forest-adjacent cities.

India's Climate Initiatives for Urban Areas

• Smart Cities Mission: Focuses on developing sustainable urban infrastructure, promoting smart technologies, and enhancing resilience to climate impacts.
• AMRUT Mission: Aims to provide basic infrastructure and sustainable urban development in cities, including water supply, sewage, and green spaces.
• Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban: Focuses on improving waste management and reducing pollution in urban areas.
• FAME India Scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles): Promotes electric vehicles to reduce urban air pollution and carbon emissions.
• Green Energy Corridor (GEC): Facilitates the integration of renewable energy sources into the national grid, encouraging clean energy use in urban centers.