The ‘World Cities Report 2024: Cities and Climate Action’ was published by UN Habitat.
Key findings
- The report provides a wide and far-reaching analysis of the current and expected climate impacts on different regions and cities, as well as the differing vulnerabilities urban populations face as a result of poverty, inequality, ethnicity, gender, disability and other characteristics.
- Cities are both the victims of climate change and among its worst offenders: though disproportionately exposed to its impacts, they are also responsible for generating a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions.
- From flooding to heatwaves, powerful storms to drought, urban areas frequently find themselves on the frontline of the climate crisis.
- Climate change is in many ways exacerbating existing inequalities, as the urban poor and other marginalized groups and communities find themselves facing its most extreme impacts with least resources.
- More than two billion people currently living in cities could be exposed to an additional temperature increase of at least 0.5 degrees Celsius by 2040, and cities overall need an estimated $4.5 to $5.4 trillion investment per year to build and maintain climate-resilient systems.
