The World Cities Report 2024 was launched on 5 November 2024 at the 12th Session of the World Urban Forum in Cairo, Egypt. This new edition underscores the urgent need for cities to take bold action against climate change. Urban areas, home to rapidly growing populations, are at the frontline of climate impacts such as floods, heatwaves, and storms.
While cities are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, they are also major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, making the need for transformative climate action even more critical.
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The report focuses on four areas:
- Urgency of action: climate impacts are devastating cities worldwide, and without swift action, challenges will only intensify in the coming years.
- Revised role of urban areas: cities are hubs of population and economic activity, and are uniquely positioned to lead climate solutions and build adapted response to climate crises.
- People-centered solutions: successful climate initiatives must prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable urban populations, addressing social and economic inequalities to ensure actions benefit all residents.
- Inclusive implementation: the report calls for cities to adopt inclusive, community-driven approaches, building more resilient infrastructure and creating more equitable urban spaces.
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The report also highlights the need for coordinated and immediate efforts by local and national governments to mitigate the impacts of climate crises and the growing inequality in urban areas, by integrating climate resilience approaches into urban planning and supporting populations most at risk.
Inspiring examples of cities can be found in the report; from Karachi’s green infrastructure projects to Bangkok’s open government initiatives, local governments demonstrate the potential of collaborative, inclusive climate action.
The World Cities Report 2024 serves as a call to action for cities to lead low-carbon, climate-resilient solutions.
Source: https://unhabitat.org/world-cities-report-2024-cities-and-climate-action