The UN expects cities’ share of the global population will increase from today’s 55% (4.2 billion people)
to 68% (6.7 billion people) by 2050.
40% of the global
population lives within 100 kilometers of a coast.
1999
1979
What will cities need to do?
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Public-private partnerships
Cities are already home to 55% of the world’s population and are responsible for nearly 80% of its economic activity.
Adapting to climate change will be expensive, and even the most prosperous cities won’t be able to do it alone. Instead they will need to draw on multiple sources of financing.
International financial institutions
2009
Copenhagen has incorporated climate adaptation into its urban-planning process. To guard against flooding, the city is building dikes, locating construction on higher ground and increasing storm drainage. The city also aims to reduce potential damage by establishing rapid cleanup protocols, building out early-warning systems, using public spaces as catchment areas and waterproofing basements.
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The world has warmed significantly over the last 50 years
Cities can encourage
insurance companies to price risk appropriately, discourage moral hazard and incentivize investments in adaptation.
Coastal cities
are vulnerable
Insurance
learn more
1989
China’s Xiong’an New Area
Build out soft infrastructure
Build out soft infrastructure
Land-value capture strategies
Green bonds
Municipal bond
market
Land-value capture strategies
Reinforce physical infrastructure
Why focus on cities?
Protect the power grid
warmed significantly
Direct government financing
Many US state and local governments can tap the municipal bond market to fund climate-adaptation projects.
Cities can become laboratories for climate
change innovation
warmed significantly
In developing countries, IFIs can help governments structure large infrastructure projects. They can also lend or provide a backstop to reduce repayment risk for private-sector lenders.
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China Daily, “Xiongan New Area’s master plan: highlights†(April 2018)
City of Miami, “Miami Forever Bond Project to Mitigate Effects of Sea Level Rise†(March 2019)
Climate-ADAPT, “Room for the River Waal – protecting the city of Nijmegen†(April 2016)
“Copenhagen Climate Adaptation Plan†(2011) Houston Chronicle, “Harris County voters pass $2.5 billion flood bond one year after Harvey†(August 2018) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report†(2014) IPCC, “Global Warming of 1.5°C†(October 2018)
IPCC, “IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land†(August 2019)New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, “Coastal Storm Risk Management Projects†President’s Council of Economic Advisors and U.S. Department of Energy, “Economic Benefits of Increasing Electric Grid Resilience to Weather Outages†(August 2013) San Francisco Chronicle, “SF’s Embarcadero seawall measure wins easily†(November 2018) United Nations, “Factsheet: People and Oceans†(June 2017)WYNC, “A Great Wall of Staten Island to Ward Off Hurricanes†(August 2015)World Economic Forum, “Global Future Council on Cities and Urbanization†XinhuaNet, “China approves 2018-2035 master plan for Xiongan New Area†(January 2019)
2019
Taking the
Public-private partnerships
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The effects of climate change are already being felt and are likely to persist for decades to come, according to the scientific consensus. Adapting to the changing climate is a global challenge and many cities are likely to be on the frontlines.
The effects of climate change are already being felt and are likely to persist for decades to come, according to the scientific consensus. Adapting to the changing climate is a global challenge and many cities are likely to be on the frontlines.
New York City was hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and is pursuing multiple projects to protect against future storms. This includes building more than five miles of levees across Staten Island, a $615 million project that is targeted to be completed by 2024. In addition, the city is also budgeting $1.45 billion toward elevating Manhattan's eastern coastline, to be completed by 2023.
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Resilient construction
Stronger and more destructive storms can jeopardize power delivery in urban centers. Cities can meet these challenges by deploying:
• Battery storage in commercial and residential buildings
• Local, alternative power sources like solar, thermal and waste-to-energy
• Smart grids, which manage periods of high-energy usage
• Smart metering, which encourages off-peak consumption
case study
Protect the power grid
Cities are key to global
economic activity
Insurance
Go deeper
Reinforce physical infrastructure
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warmed significantly
4
1969
Sources +
Green bonds
Bolster communications infrastructure
Direct government financing
Cities will need to adapt structures and systems to be more resilient to extreme weather and increasing temperatures. Those adaptations include:
• Reinforcing bridges to withstand higher wind speeds
• Increasing drainage capacity in subway tunnels and sewers for increased storm runoff
• Making airports more resilient to flooding and power outages
• Changing flight schedules to address the problem of higher daytime temperatures impeding takeoffs
Climate adaptive
building codes
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Read the full report for more data and analysis on the many ways cities will need to adapt to the changing climate.
Insurance
1979
case study
Soft infrastructure, including coordinated disaster-response planning, can help cities prepare for climate emergencies. This can include:
• Early-warning systems
• Expanded storm shelters
• Health and safety communication
• Digital technologies that can bolster effective responses
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Cities can sell ownership or development rights to fund infrastructure projects (e.g. the right to build near a new train station). They can also use the tax code to access the value of appreciating land.
Proceeds have been used to finance renewable energy projects and low-carbon transportation.
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China is developing the Xiong’an New Area to alleviate overcrowding in Beijing and provide a model for the growth of other inland cities. Resilience and adaptation to climate change are key features. Xiong’an will expand forest coverage to reduce the urban heat island effect and will incorporate wetlands and expansive water management systems in order to mitigate flooding. The city’s master plan calls for half of its energy consumption to come from wind, solar and other renewable technologies.
More robust
water and waste management
systems
New York City
Central government funds can be used for projects like improving energy efficiency or flood-proofing existing buildings.
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warmed significantly
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storms and Floods
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Urban populations
are growing
International financial institutions
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1969
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2019
1989
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Cities are key to global
economic activity
Copenhagen
1999
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How can cities finance resilience?
warmed significantly
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Upgraded transportation infrastructure
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warmed significantly
power disruption
heat
Degrees Celsius change versus the pre-industrial period
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Heat waves
Bolster communications infrastructure
Municipal bond
market
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China Daily, “Xiongan New Area’s master plan: highlights†(April 2018)
City of Miami, “Miami Forever Bond Project to Mitigate Effects of Sea Level Rise†(March 2019)
Climate-ADAPT, “Room for the River Waal – protecting the city of Nijmegen†(April 2016)
“Copenhagen Climate Adaptation Plan†(2011)
Houston Chronicle, “Harris County voters pass $2.5 billion flood bond one year after Harvey†(August 2018)
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report†(2014)
IPCC, “Global Warming of 1.5°C†(October 2018)
IPCC, “IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land†(August 2019)
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, “Coastal Storm Risk Management Projectsâ€
President’s Council of Economic Advisors and U.S. Department of Energy, “Economic Benefits of Increasing Electric Grid Resilience to Weather Outages†(August 2013)
San Francisco Chronicle, “SF’s Embarcadero seawall measure wins easily†(November 2018)
United Nations, “Factsheet: People and Oceans†(June 2017)
WYNC, “A Great Wall of Staten Island to Ward Off Hurricanes†(August 2015)
World Economic Forum, “Global Future Council on Cities and Urbanizationâ€
XinhuaNet, “China approves 2018-2035 master plan for Xiongan New Area†(January 2019)
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Droughts
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How cities can adapt to climate change
Cities' large populations and extensive economic activity make them well-positioned to meet the challenges of adapting to climate change. Many cities face similar challenges, and smaller-scale innovations in one city could lead to breakthroughs for others.
Taking the
Modern cities depend on communication, but this infrastructure – from cell towers to switching stations – could be at risk from climate change. Cities will want to:
• Ensure multiple points of connectivity
• Locate data centers in cool, dry areas away from fires and flooding
How cities can adapt to climate change
2009
Sources -
Cities can work with the private sector to offset the upfront costs of infrastructure investments, while also leveraging private-sector expertise – in construction, operations and maintenance,
as examples.
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case study
heat
Cities may encounter:
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