Cities in a Climate Crisis

The Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG), argues that cities offer the greatest opportunity for a collective mitigation response to the climate crisis. The report sets out four main climate risks facing cities across the globe: Heat stress - urban areas are heat islands, meaning their populations suffer disproportionately from heat stress. Heat stress leads to lower productivity, poor quality of life and premature death for occupants. Air quality - air quality tends to decrease as cities grow. It can be improved by managing vehicles i.e. through limiting their access to city centres. Flood and storm damage - approximately one billion people are currently projected to be at risk from coastal-specific climate hazards, and this number increases as global mean sea level continues to rise. Flooding - Many recent floods are unprecedented, indicating that they are part of the intensification of extreme weather events across the world. In response to this, CCAG proposes a systematic approach for better cities comprising four universal steps to improve life, enhance their economy and reduce emissions.