Abstract

From the Executive Summary:

Cities face significant impacts from climate change, both now and into the future. These impacts have potentially serious consequences for human health, livelihoods, and assets, especially for the urban poor, informal settlements, and other vulnerable groups. Climate change impacts range from an increase in extreme weather events and flooding to hotter temperatures and public health concerns. Cities in low-elevation coastal zones, for instance, face the combined threat of sea-level rise and storm surges. The specific impacts on each city will depend on the actual changes in climate experienced (for example, higher temperatures or increased rainfall), which will vary from place to place.

Climate change will increase the frequency at which some natural hazards occur, especially extreme weather events, and introduce new incremental impacts that are less immediate. However, few climate impacts will be truly unfamiliar to cities. Cities have always lived with natural hazards, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and flooding. In some situations, cities will experience an increase in the frequency of existing climate-related hazards, such as flooding.

Climate change adaptation is the process of preparing for, and adjusting proactively to, climate change—both negative impacts as well as potential opportunities. Cities are often the first responders to climate impacts. Because cities are dynamic systems that face unique climate impacts, their adaptation must be location specific and tailored to local circumstances. The starting point in managing risks and building long-term resilience is for a city to understand its exposure and sensitivity to a given set of impacts, and develop responsive policies and investments that address these vulnerabilities.

Affiliated Organizations

The World Bank

The World Bank provides low-interest loans, interest-free credits and grants to developing countries for a wide array of purposes that include investments in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture and environmental and natural resource management.

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