Cities are grappling with a range of hazards and shocks that underscore the urgent need for enhanced resilience and climate action. The frequency of climate-related natural disasters has increased globally, posing unique challenges for cities. At the same time, the accelerating industrial transition may have disruptive economic impacts, and the COVID-19 crisis underscored the urgent need for enhanced resilience and preparedness in urban areas. Environmental degradation, growing inequalities within society and deep economic interconnections exacerbated the spread and impact of COVID-19, which disproportionately affected vulnerable groups and widened existing divides such as socio-economic inequity in cities.
Climate and resilience in cities
Faced with the escalating impacts of climate change, economic crises, demographic changes and the ongoing repercussions of COVID-19, cities find themselves vulnerable to substantial challenges. However, amidst such shocks, cities can mitigate risks and champion climate action, with strategic policies that support inclusive urban resilience.
Key messages
Despite the pressing need for urgent climate action, cities find themselves far from achieving net-zero emissions. The building sector is responsible for nearly 40% of CO2 emissions produced globally, making decarbonising buildings a powerful strategy for reducing carbon emissions. As the urbanisation rate increases, particularly in developing countries, so too does the energy demand to construct and operate buildings. Importantly, it is estimated that 90% of urban emissions can be cut with existing technologies while creating 87 million jobs in 2030 and 45 million jobs in 2050. Cities can therefore drive sustainable development by prioritizing decarbonization, particularly through the transformation of their building infrastructure. Effective collaboration between local and national governments is critical to unlock the full potential of urban decarbonisation and to reap its multiple co-benefits.
Cities are playing a key role in increasing resilience to climate change and related stressors. They are doing so by investing in climate-resilient urban infrastructure, supporting businesses and communities most affected by economic crises, promoting the decarbonization of buildings, and working together with other levels of government. As an example, subnational governments account for 69% of climate-related investment and 63% of climate-related expenditure. The capacity to strengthen resilience to future shocks and stresses is crucial for effective urban policymaking and governance. This includes addressing known challenges like climate change and unexpected events such as pandemics. By doing so, cities can significantly reduce their exposure to risks, adapt to climate change, and build greener, smarter, and more inclusive communities.
As the impacts of climate change, extreme events, and shocks can vary widely across cities, adapting and mitigating against such challenges requires place-based policy responses. As an example, within cities, different neighbourhoods may experience varying levels of the urban heat island effect, with some urban centres being 5-7 degrees warmer than surrounding areas. Importantly, a locally tailored approach depends on a comprehensive understanding of climate and resilience challenges and opportunities at the local level, along with the implementation of localized monitoring and reporting frameworks. It can also be facilitated by cities actively sharing and disseminating their innovative policies, strategies, and programmes with other localities in order to support the zero-carbon transition and to increase urban resilience.
Context
There are big disparities in progress to net zero across cities and regions
The volume and source of GHG emissions vary significantly across geographical regions. Metropolitan regions are generally performing better than non-metropolitan regions on a production per capita basis. Regions for disparities include gaps in knowledge, capacities, funding, and support from higher levels of government.
Carbon emissions from buildings varies across cities and regions
Buildings are a major source of energy-related CO2 emissions, contributing nearly 40% globally. This figure is even more concerning in cities, where buildings account for a staggering share of total emissions: 73% in Tokyo, 71% in Paris, and 68% in New York. With rapid urbanisation driving demand for new buildings concentrated in and around cities, there's an urgent need for mitigation and adaptation strategies.
The impacts of climate change in cities are complex, interconnected, and far-reaching
Cities are vulnerable to various climatic events such as droughts, heatwaves, floods, and storms, leading to diverse consequences across urban areas. The OECD has proposed a four-pronged framework to increase cities’ systemic resilience to climate change. First, collaboration across different urban policy sectors is crucial as climate impacts intersect with societal challenges such as health, labour productivity, and social inequality. By recognizing these interconnections, cities can prioritize climate actions within their broader objectives, creating co-benefits. Second, collaboration across diverse actors is a key strategy for enhancing systemic resilience in cities by involving various stakeholders and working collectively to address climate impacts. Third, cities must understand the distinction between direct and cascading impacts, including how climate shocks may interact with existing vulnerabilities and inequalities, in order to implement sufficient adaptation and resilience policies. Fourth, given that climate shocks cause asymmetric impacts across people and places, context-specific solutions supported by local data are necessary to address disparities in vulnerability and exposure.
Related publications
Related policy issues
-
Climate hazards have always affected African territories, but climate change is now increasing their variability and the continent's vulnerability. With rapid population growth and urbanisation, African cities need to anticipate these changes to improve their preparedness. Positioned at the forefront of the response to climate change, African cities have a key role to play in ensuring the future viability, resilience and sustainability of these territories.Learn more
-
Improving people's well-being requires sound evidence-based policies. We produce indicators for regions, cities and local areas in all areas of well-being. We promote international comparability, as well as the use of cutting-edge methods and new sources of data. Our network of experts advises on best practices for the production and use of high-quality statistics.Learn more
-
Along with greater opportunity, city life has increasingly meant housing unaffordability, substandard quality, and overcrowding. As the world grows more urban, governments must find creative ways to provide affordable, quality, and sustainable housing for all.Learn more