More cities are taking measures to combat climate change and mitigate the impact of extreme weather events in their communities. However, there remains a significant gap between what is required and the current reality. Recently, the nonprofit Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) conducted a survey of 812 cities, nearly all of which expressed a full awareness of facing multiple risks. For instance, extreme heat, flooding, and rainstorms threaten their residents and infrastructure, while less than half of these cities have a detailed plan to address the issue.
Mirjam Wolfrum, the director of political engagement at the CDP in Europe, stated, "Cities have recorded improvements in climate plans, but there is definitely a gap." She added, "We need more plans, and at a faster pace." Cities are a crucial part of combating global warming, as they are responsible for about three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and consume about a third of the world's energy supplies.
Climate scientists indicate that emissions need to be cut by half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. This step is essential to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius or close to it by the end of the century. In fact, only 17% of cities implement actions in the four areas identified by the CDP as having the most significant impact when it comes to reducing emissions. These areas are building, transportation, electricity networks, and waste management.
There is also a gap in project financing, as around half of the surveyed cities identified more than a thousand potential climate projects, requiring total additional investments of $42 billion, according to the report.
Wolfrum adds, "The main obstacles are the complex environment in which cities operate within highly varied local contexts, as well as budgetary issues." She continued, "Cities often tackle one aspect and pull back on others."
Identifying climate change is the first step to helping cities understand climate risks. They then need to develop a plan with short- and long-term objectives and a mechanism for regularly reporting progress. In the CDP survey, 365 participants had plans to reduce emissions at the city level by 2020, compared to only 16 cities a decade ago, but only 148 had goals aligned with science-based targets.
The number of cities preparing to assess risks has increased more than tenfold to 478 cities over the past decade. However, 43% of cities expected to experience a population increase of over 400 million people by 2030 still lack climate adaptation plans. It is noteworthy that the main reported vulnerabilities relate to preparedness for rainstorms, heatwaves, and droughts.
