Looking towards the future of world urban development, cities of the global south will: urp30008/26/2023 Without appropriate planning, design, and investment in the development of sustainable cities, a growing number of people will continue to face unprecedented negative impacts, not only of climate change but also of reduced economic growth, quality of life, and increased social instability. It is estimated that, without extensive adaptation efforts, a 1-metre sea level rise in New York could not only inundate coastal areas, but have a devastating impact on the subway system, sanitation facilities, power plants and factories, thereby affecting the economy of the city. While all coastal cities face such threats, the impact on those with populations of over 10 million inhabitants will be substantial. For example, in the 2011 floods in Bangkok, Thailand, more than 500 people lost their lives and exponentially more suffered significant losses to their livelihoods. Asia is also far from immune to the effects of climate change. For example, research in UN-Habitat's* most recent State of African Cities Report suggests that as many as 200 million Africans could be displaced by the effects of climate change by the year 2050, putting a huge strain on the capacity and resources of cities. Increasingly, the poorest and most marginalized are disproportionately affected and yet they have the least capacity to mitigate against these impacts and protect themselves. Many of the world's largest cities and towns are located along coastlines, rivers, and floodplains which are most vulnerable when natural disasters strike.įorecasts based on the best available scientific evidence indicate that in the coming decades, climate change may render hundreds of millions of urban residents increasingly vulnerable to floods, landslides, extreme weather and other natural disasters. Cities and towns already bear the brunt of natural disasters such as flooding and tropical storms. The world's population is already more than 50 per cent urban and this is expected to rise to two-thirds in little over a generation. The effects of urbanization and climate change are converging in dangerous ways. It is vitally important that this emerging opportunity be recognized and endorsed at Rio+20. By prioritizing sustainable urbanization within a broader development framework, many critical development challenges can be addressed in tandem such as energy, water consumption and production, biodiversity, disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation. Efforts to create jobs, reduce our ecological footprint, and improve quality of life are most effective when pursued holistically. However, with vision and commitment, sustainable urbanization is one of the solutions to our ever growing global population. When poorly managed, urbanization can be detrimental to sustainable development. Part of the solution lies in how cities are planned, governed, and provide services to their citizens. We must urgently find ways to achieve economic and socially equitable growth without further cost to the environment. It is, therefore, more critical than ever that Member States and United Nations agencies commit themselves to realize the goal of sustainable urbanization as a key lever for development. The cities of the world's emerging economies are increasingly drivers of global prosperity while the planet's resources are fast depleting. Cities are not only where rapid improvements in socio-economic and environmental conditions are possible, but it is, indeed, where such change is most needed. Over the last two decades, demographic and economic changes have propelled cities and urban centres to become the principal habitat of humankind.
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