(by: Erietta TOSIDOU, Flavio DE ALMEIDA MOTA, Jacqui VANOS, Lea KIRIAKOS SAAD)
It is difficult to anticipate with high certainty the consequences of climate change, but there is enough data to support that it presents serious risks, and demands an urgent response. Climate change threatens basic elements of life, such as access to water, food production, health, and use of land and the environment.
Cities occupy only 2% of the world’s landmass, but leave a significant footprint in terms of climate impact. Large cities consume over two third of the world’s energy and create more than 70% of global CO2 emissions. They are vulnerable to climate change effects such as an increase of average temperatures, enhanced by the urban heat island effect; a change in hydrological regimes, which may result in variability in rain levels; and an increase in frequency and severity of weather events, such as tropical storms, prolonged dry spells, ice storms, or frosting. The financial impact is also relevant, as unexpected expenditures from these effects can lead to major disruptions in business operations and city budgets.
Acting is necessary and one should take into account the lead time required for actions to come into effect. Studies show that actions performed today typically impact cities 40 or 50 years from now. Acting should be viewed as an investment, a cost incurred in the present to avoid the risks of major disruption to economic and social activity in the future. By making the right investments, it is possible to manage costs and enjoy opportunities to grow and develop.
Society is aware and pushing for action. In December 2015, almost every country in the world adopted the Paris climate agreement, committing to limit average global temperature increase to 1.5 degree by 2020. Building city resilience is becoming a pressing issue and an essential matter to initiate, develop and fund, in order to build better infrastructure and avoid/respond to potential emerging threats.
Data shows this resilience initiative, which has already been launched by a number of developed cities in the USA and Canada, including Chicago, Iowa, Austin and Mississauga, has positively impacted all stakeholders. In fact, its results are making cities more attractive for people, hence changing demographics in line with the general desire to become part of an innovative culture that promotes long term sustainability.
A large number of ideas has been recently explored in this area and, in what follows, we dive into the details of three main categories.
- Transportation infrastructure – Urban transportation infrastructure can be highly affected by climate change, namely through varying temperatures and increased rainfall. Building new resilient infrastructure based on green designs is therefore very important to maintain the long-term sustainability of cities. Examples of such infrastructure include integrating natural drainage into urban landscapes and street design through wetlands and permeable surfaces; and building tramway routes around large trees which can create effective shading hence reducing pavement temperatures while creating a more comfortable environment for residents.
- Transformational adaptation – The definition of this concept has been debated for quite some time; essentially, it refers to questioning and revisiting the effectiveness of existing systems, either as a reaction to a certain event (such as a natural disaster, including a flood or a tsunami) or as a plan to existing known vulnerability of a city. The idea is to present new approaches and innovative ways to deal with potential threats in the future. A recent example of this concept is the Delta Program launched in the Netherlands in 2008. The program aims at moving away from the more traditional approach of focusing on flood prevention to a more systems based approach focusing on minimizing damages caused by the floods. Actions include lowering floodplain, creating diversions that move excess river water through separate route and relocating dikes further inland. The program is backed by the government and has a strong political commitment.
- Synergies of the public and private sectors – History shows that the public sector/government cannot single handedly fund the development of cities and countries. Although appealing, creating resilient cities requires large investments in time and money, and since governments tend to limit their budgets in this regard, joining forces with the private sector becomes essential. On one hand, the experience, resources and international networks of private companies can significantly benefit the advancement of innovative projects; on the other, private firms can benefit from this type of partnership to increase their profitability. An example of this could include smart grid delivery of power, the provision of redundant mesh networks for communications, and the electrification of the transportation grid. Such a partnership can be beneficial for both parties and can have positive externalities on the cities.
Cities should work together to take advantage from shared knowledge and economies of scale to speed up actions. For instance, 90 of the world’s greatest cities, representing 650+ million people and one quarter of the global economy, are connected in a group (C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group) focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens. This group is making a significant difference in improving the scale and speed of climate action, with 30% of all climate actions being delivered through city-to-city collaboration.
Cities should also increase the use information technology to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the urban system, the concept of ‘Smart’ Cities. Iowa, for example, is using historical data to build robustness in the face of flooding. The Department of Transportation used historical rainfall data and analytics capabilities to forecast peak discharge flows from two local basins that had recently experienced severe flooding events affecting primary and interstate highways. Cities can generate or gather a lot of historical data from smart sensors, agencies and third parties to improve their resilience capabilities.
References
- Stern, N. H., & HM Treasury, Great Britain. (2007). The economics of climate change. The Stern Review.
- C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. (2017). Why Cities?. Cities have the power to change the world.
- Ordóñez, C. (2016). Three Key Ideas for Making Sense of Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Ecosystem Management.
- European Commission. (2017). Climate Action, 2020 climate & energy package.
- Rockefeller Foundation. (2015). City Resilience Framework.
- FT Books Essay, Author: Pilita Clark. (2017). Green streets: can cities take the lead on climate change?
- C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. (2017). Deadline 2020. How cities will get the job done.
- The International Institute for Sustainable Development and the University of Winnipeg. (2017). Eight Ways Cities Are Building Climate Resilience. Examples from the “Building a Climate-Resilient City” research series.
- Guardian sustainable business – Smart cities, Author: Bianca Nogrady. (2017). Urban heat islands: cooling things down with trees, green roads and fewer cars
- Prairie Climate Centre. (2017). Building a climate resilient city: transformational adaptation.
- Prairie Climate Centre. (2017). Building a climate resilient city: transportation infrastructure.