Climate change threatens cities
Coastal flooding, water shortages a growing concern
THURSDAY JUNE 21 2018 INFO: Olga Liaza Kupika and Stephanie Achieng at the International Climate Change Adaptation Conference.
BY 2050, over 800 million people globally will be vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal flooding and 650 million in cities such as Cape Town, Paarl and George will be at risk of water shortages as a result of climate change.
This is according to research conducted by C40 Cities, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and the Urban Climate Change Research Network, on the effects of climate change. This information was shared at the Adaptation Futures conference in Cape Town earlier this week.
Representatives around the world came together in Cape Town to share ideas on how to prepare and adapt cities for the effects of climate change. They also discussed the research, which tallied the number of cities and citizens threatened by climate hazards if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise unchecked.
The research revealed that billions of people in cities around the world could face climate-related heat waves, droughts, flooding, food shortages, blackouts and social inequality by 2050.
It further stated that 1.6 billion people will be regularly exposed to extreme high temperatures, including those in Kimberley. Another 2.5 billion will see the national food supply threatened by climate change and 470 million will be vulnerable to sea level rise.
“For most C40 cities, the impacts of climate change are not a far off threat. From Cape Town to Houston, mayors are seeing severe droughts, storms, fires and more.
“As this report shows, C40 mayors are on the front line of climate change, and the actions they take today, to use less energy in buildings, transition to clean transportation and reduce waste, are necessary to ensure prosperity and safety for their citizens,” said C40 board member Antha Williams.
C40 Cities executive director Mark Watts said scientists had for decades warned about the risks climate change would pose: “This is the future that nobody wants. Our research should serve as a wake-up call on just how urgently we need to be delivering bold climate action.”
Mayor Patricia de Lille said climate change was already happening as Cape Town faces an unprecedented drought, but she said “thanks to the efforts of our citizens to adapt, the City managed to avert Day Zero”.
Solutions being delivered by cities, regional governments, investors and businesses to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, will be showcased at the Global Climate Action Summit, taking place in San Francisco, September 12 to 14. – Staff Reporter