Resilient Cities Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change - Proceedin
Even with significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, a certain degree of climate change will inevitably occur. Adapting to climate change, then, will become a necessary step in reducing the vulnerability of many regions across the globe. This is
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Local Sustainability Volume 1 Series Editor: Monika Zimmermann
For other ICLEI publications, go to www.springer.com/series/10034
Konrad Otto-Zimmermann Editor
Resilient Cities Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change Proceedings of the Global Forum 2010
Editor Konrad Otto-Zimmermann ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability World Secretariat Kaiser-Friedrich-Str. 7 53113 Bonn Germany [email protected]
ISBN 978-94-007-0784-9 e-ISBN 978-94-007-0785-6 DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-0785-6 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011929227 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Foreword
Preparing for the impacts of climate change on the world’s cities is a major challenge of the twenty-first century. No-one today can really foresee the predicament in which a town or city will find itself 10, 20 or 30 years down the road. We must bear in mind that the greatest impacts of disasters resulting from climate change begin and end in cities. Prevention can be greatly enhanced through better and smarter land-use planning and building codes so that cities keep their ecological footprint to the minimum, and ensure their residents, especially the poorest, are protected as best as possible against disaster. By far the most vulnerable to natural disasters, the urban poor often have no choice but to live in sub-standard housing in places often prone to floods or landslides – places which lack even the most basic human services and where no-one else wants to live. When disaster strikes they have few or no private assets or social safety nets to fall back upon. Unless the world takes decisive action, this problem may well worsen in coming decades ahead. Science tells us that already rising sea levels, cyclones, heat waves and droughts, changing rain patterns and other impacts of climate disruption are becoming increasingly manifest. Furthermore in coming years, vulnerability increasingly will become urbanized given that already more than half of the world’s people now live in cities, and that projections show that by 2050 this figure will rise to 70%. Similarly the number of slum dwellers is also set to rise. Make no mistake, it will be those living in absolute poverty, especially in the developing countries, who will suffer most in any climate crisis. It is heartening that local leaders are beginning to find solutions to these problems. Cities are assessing which communities, places and sectors are most vulnerable. They are investing in climate proofing their infrast
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