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Topic:
Effects of Climate Change on Cities
Essay Instructions:
What do you consider to be the single most pressing research issue on cities in the next decade? Why? How would you frame a research agenda to address this priority issue for cities in a global context? Create an annotated bibliography of five core references that frame this research agenda. Draft three research questions (one primary and two secondary research questions) to guide this research agenda. ----------------------------------------------------------- Here are the questions that I have to answer in my essay: SO, my primary question is: How will climate change impact urbanites and the cities? AND my secondary questions are: How people effect on the Climate Change? How cities adopt to climate change? **above questions should be answered through the essay. ------------------------------------------------------------------- You need to argue why it is important. Imagine a reviewer of your proposal sifting through hundreds of such proposals, so your rationale of why it is in your estimation the most pressing and timely, has to be persuasive. The research issue you identify should have some importance to the evolving global agenda on cities but you can use one city (example a case study) to argue its significance.
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Effects of Climate Change on Cities
Aspects of climate change pose serious detrimental challenges for cities in modern-day world. The whole idea involves increment of vulnerabilities and hazards that stand to get in the way of socio-economic development. It is important to note that urban settlements are home to more than half of the world's population and the increasing rural-urban migration enhances the effects of climate change on cities (De Sherbinin et al. 42). These include serious health challenges, like increased heat waves that threaten the wellbeing of the young, aged or infirm in these societies. Policy makers and international organizations and conventions have conducted a good number of studies on the extent of climate change on urban societies that have identified alarming trends that have initiated dabates. Additionally, a number of measures have been devised to curb the topic, which will be further discussed in this paper. Even so, it is important to indicate that specific measures vary from nation to nation and the specific challenges facing different communities in terms of economic and wealth levels as well as population indices (Adger et al. 15).
Today, climate change is recognized as a major and pressing global issue affecting development in urban centers of the world as agreed upon by different governing systems, especially attributes of global warming. The most widely accepted definition of climate change involves the effects of greenhouse gases emissions that include but are not limited to carbon dioxide and methane gases (Campbell, 110). All the same, aside from naturally occurring gases, human action remains a key contributing factor if not determinant of the harsh impacts of climate change, especially in terms of energy planning, management and consumption. The overall increases in temperatures bring about extinction of some vital vegetation especially in forest regions and hence a decrease in rainfall resulting in drier spells and adverse effects on human health via reduced food production and water supplies. In specific terms, intense periods of drought and flooding highly compromise water system supplies. For coastal cities, the rise in sea levels and storm surges affects infrastructure that is crucial for day-to-day operations of people (Muller, 99). According to UN-Habitat, recent reports indicate that sea level is rising twice faster than initially reported. Even so, this is only a result of one form of harsh weather patterns. Other extreme patterns exist like storms, flooding, drought and tropical cyclones. These cause serious impacts on water, energy and food supply, especially in developing countries. In fact, the people most affected are dwellers of informal urban settlements like slums (Ahern, 37).
The existent conventions including the Kyoto protocol and similar efforts by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) seem insufficient to guide world communities in adaptive capacity measures for climate change. However, focus on attaining sustainable development for the communities involving application energy efficiencies and sustainable technologies of renewable energy sources is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. Reforestation, forests conservation and water bodies' conservation also fall under the category of adaptive capacity mechanisms (UN Habitat).
The level and extent of greenhouse gas emissions that is evident in world cities of today remains alarming. What is worse is that this level is on an increasing scale and so presents a challenge to long-term growth and development considering urban settlements are responsible for over 40% of the stated greenhouse gas emissions but they occupy a mere 2.8% of the earth's surface. This scenario is also characterized by rapid urbanization especially in developing countries bearing serious implication on the environment and natural resources. According to the UN-Habitat, 5 million new residents enter urban areas each month in the developing world. It is estimated that in the coming few decades, 95% of urban population will be represented by developing countries. The increased population growth results in more economic development and so increased exploitation and changes in land use.
This paper focuses on the issue of climate change on cities with an international perspective as it looks at concurrent approaches to mitigation and overall adaptations to climate change as well. It is understood that climate change increases the rate of recurrence of a range of natural hazards and extreme weather conditions. Even so, most climatic impacts are common to cities around the world in forms of tsunamis, flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes among others. As far as adaptation is concerned, cities, which are often first responders to climatic impacts, require mechanisms of preparing for and adjusting to climate change in both situations of adverse impacts as well as possible opportunities. They require adaptation mechanisms that are specific to their geographical locations and comprehend the local and prevailing circumstances. The governments under question need to practice forms of risk management that involves the establishment of long-term resilience for the built environment. Additionally, there is a great need for the development of responsive policies aside from investing in the built environment to address vulnerabilities posed by climate change. This would enable a given city to be well prepared for ongoing and future climatic change impacts hence reducing their severity and magnitude (Osvaldo et al. 15-17). Increasing resilience for cities and urban settlements involve creation of sustainable development goals that involve poverty reduction. Apparently, many cities have areas of informal settlements and inadequate infrastructure that facilitate environmental degradation. Still, the climate change concerns need to be integrated with aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in modern cities as a platform for adaptation plans in cities (Twigg, 33).
Additionally, cities require means of collecting information on the impact of climate change. These can be simple and low-cost means or highly complex and technical, which may involve experts and professional service providers. In some cases though, community based approaches might be employed with the aim of improving and making known social and physical impacts of climate change to the urban population. The development of objective climate plans by cities around the world has enabled the urban settlements to realize significant opportunities brought about by climate change. Severe effects of climate change in relation to water supply involve threats to health like waterborne diseases for example (Muller, 102). Additionally, detrimental effects of climate change in urban areas can occur as natural hazards in the short term, like instances of landslides, hurricanes and or floods. On the other hand, long-term effects of climate change take the form of gradual environmental degradation that impact adversely on aspects of human health and settlement, water resources, food security, migration, energy and industry among other factors of human life. Climate change patterns of weather conditions in high or low temperatures affect the levels of recorded rainfall too. This in turn affects societies by means of droughts or floods in particular affected areas. In other terms, climate changes can also be defined as different weather changes of events with undesired effects, which cause more havoc in urban settlements where people are congested as compared to rural settings.
Urban land areas are characterized for the most part by the built environment, which entails structural aspects like streets an...
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
Effects of Climate Change on Cities
Aspects of climate change pose serious detrimental challenges for cities in modern-day world. The whole idea involves increment of vulnerabilities and hazards that stand to get in the way of socio-economic development. It is important to note that urban settlements are home to more than half of the world's population and the increasing rural-urban migration enhances the effects of climate change on cities (De Sherbinin et al. 42). These include serious health challenges, like increased heat waves that threaten the wellbeing of the young, aged or infirm in these societies. Policy makers and international organizations and conventions have conducted a good number of studies on the extent of climate change on urban societies that have identified alarming trends that have initiated dabates. Additionally, a number of measures have been devised to curb the topic, which will be further discussed in this paper. Even so, it is important to indicate that specific measures vary from nation to nation and the specific challenges facing different communities in terms of economic and wealth levels as well as population indices (Adger et al. 15).
Today, climate change is recognized as a major and pressing global issue affecting development in urban centers of the world as agreed upon by different governing systems, especially attributes of global warming. The most widely accepted definition of climate change involves the effects of greenhouse gases emissions that include but are not limited to carbon dioxide and methane gases (Campbell, 110). All the same, aside from naturally occurring gases, human action remains a key contributing factor if not determinant of the harsh impacts of climate change, especially in terms of energy planning, management and consumption. The overall increases in temperatures bring about extinction of some vital vegetation especially in forest regions and hence a decrease in rainfall resulting in drier spells and adverse effects on human health via reduced food production and water supplies. In specific terms, intense periods of drought and flooding highly compromise water system supplies. For coastal cities, the rise in sea levels and storm surges affects infrastructure that is crucial for day-to-day operations of people (Muller, 99). According to UN-Habitat, recent reports indicate that sea level is rising twice faster than initially reported. Even so, this is only a result of one form of harsh weather patterns. Other extreme patterns exist like storms, flooding, drought and tropical cyclones. These cause serious impacts on water, energy and food supply, especially in developing countries. In fact, the people most affected are dwellers of informal urban settlements like slums (Ahern, 37).
The existent conventions including the Kyoto protocol and similar efforts by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) seem insufficient to guide world communities in adaptive capacity measures for climate change. However, focus on attaining sustainable development for the communities involving application energy efficiencies and sustainable technologies of renewable energy sources is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. Reforestation, forests conservation and water bodies' conservation also fall under the category of adaptive capacity mechanisms (UN Habitat).
The level and extent of greenhouse gas emissions that is evident in world cities of today remains alarming. What is worse is that this level is on an increasing scale and so presents a challenge to long-term growth and development considering urban settlements are responsible for over 40% of the stated greenhouse gas emissions but they occupy a mere 2.8% of the earth's surface. This scenario is also characterized by rapid urbanization especially in developing countries bearing serious implication on the environment and natural resources. According to the UN-Habitat, 5 million new residents enter urban areas each month in the developing world. It is estimated that in the coming few decades, 95% of urban population will be represented by developing countries. The increased population growth results in more economic development and so increased exploitation and changes in land use.
This paper focuses on the issue of climate change on cities with an international perspective as it looks at concurrent approaches to mitigation and overall adaptations to climate change as well. It is understood that climate change increases the rate of recurrence of a range of natural hazards and extreme weather conditions. Even so, most climatic impacts are common to cities around the world in forms of tsunamis, flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes among others. As far as adaptation is concerned, cities, which are often first responders to climatic impacts, require mechanisms of preparing for and adjusting to climate change in both situations of adverse impacts as well as possible opportunities. They require adaptation mechanisms that are specific to their geographical locations and comprehend the local and prevailing circumstances. The governments under question need to practice forms of risk management that involves the establishment of long-term resilience for the built environment. Additionally, there is a great need for the development of responsive policies aside from investing in the built environment to address vulnerabilities posed by climate change. This would enable a given city to be well prepared for ongoing and future climatic change impacts hence reducing their severity and magnitude (Osvaldo et al. 15-17). Increasing resilience for cities and urban settlements involve creation of sustainable development goals that involve poverty reduction. Apparently, many cities have areas of informal settlements and inadequate infrastructure that facilitate environmental degradation. Still, the climate change concerns need to be integrated with aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in modern cities as a platform for adaptation plans in cities (Twigg, 33).
Additionally, cities require means of collecting information on the impact of climate change. These can be simple and low-cost means or highly complex and technical, which may involve experts and professional service providers. In some cases though, community based approaches might be employed with the aim of improving and making known social and physical impacts of climate change to the urban population. The development of objective climate plans by cities around the world has enabled the urban settlements to realize significant opportunities brought about by climate change. Severe effects of climate change in relation to water supply involve threats to health like waterborne diseases for example (Muller, 102). Additionally, detrimental effects of climate change in urban areas can occur as natural hazards in the short term, like instances of landslides, hurricanes and or floods. On the other hand, long-term effects of climate change take the form of gradual environmental degradation that impact adversely on aspects of human health and settlement, water resources, food security, migration, energy and industry among other factors of human life. Climate change patterns of weather conditions in high or low temperatures affect the levels of recorded rainfall too. This in turn affects societies by means of droughts or floods in particular affected areas. In other terms, climate changes can also be defined as different weather changes of events with undesired effects, which cause more havoc in urban settlements where people are congested as compared to rural settings.
Urban land areas are characterized for the most part by the built environment, which entails structural aspects like streets an...
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