As climate impacts hit, cities still not prepared, say experts

LONDON: More than two in three cities around the world already are noticing the effects of climate change, from more heatwaves to worsening flooding, but few have effective plans in place to deal with the threats, researchers warned.

Budget restrictions are a key reason cities say they are failing to act, particularly on serious long-term threats such as surging demand on public health systems as a shifting climate brings more heat risks and new disease threats, they said yesterday.

“The scientific fact is that all cities are going to be affected in a severe way in the long term” by climate change, said Kyra Appleby, global director of cities, states and regions for CDP, a charity that runs a global disclosure project on environmental risks.

Last year, 530 cities around the world – home to 517 million people – reported on the climate hazards they face to the London-based CDP.

Just under half said they had done a vulnerability assessment on their climate risks – but those who had were almost six times more likely to have taken actions to prepare their infrastructure, services or people for the risks, the report said.

“Infrastructure that they are building now is going to be used for hundreds of years,” said Appleby.

“So if they are not considering the long-term effects of climate change, they may not adequately be preparing their city for what the future will look like,” she said.

Some cities are already taking significant steps to address climate risks. London, which fears it may by 2050 see significant water shortages, has started a long-term water security strategy that includes testing incentives to reduce demand, installing smart meters and cutting water leaks, Appleby said.

David Miller, a former Toronto mayor and now North America director for the C40 grouping of megacities committed to addressing climate change, said many of his network’s cities already are having to deal with climate threats.

“Nine out of 10 of our cities are reporting significant impacts of climate change today,” he said.

The report warned that climate change impacts will hit the poorest the hardest, with cities noting “increased risk to already vulnerable populations” as the top social risk from climate change.

“Climate change is largely created by the wealthiest and impacts the least well-off,” Miller said.