UCCRN Empowers Cities on the Frontline of Climate Change
COP21, PARIS – The Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN) released the Summary for City Leaders of the upcoming Second UCCRN Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3.2) at the COP21 Climate Summit for Local Leaders. UCCRN is dedicated to providing the information that city leaders–from government, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and the community—need in order to assess current and future risks, make choices that enhance resilience to climate change and climate extremes, and take actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
With the momentum of the 21st Conference of Parties of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP21), UCCRN aims to expand the network and grow cities’ impact on mitigating climate change and increasing resiliency. UCCRN Co-Director Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University’s Earth Institute said, “the ARC3.2 Summary for City Leaders tells cities what they need to know to succeed as climate change leaders, and provides climate change projections for 100 cities so they know what to expect.”
The ARC3.2 Summary for City Leaders provides a broad synthesis of the latest scientific research on climate change and cities. It presents the majors findings and key messages on urban climate science, disasters and risk, urban planning and design, mitigation and adaptation, equity and environmental justice, economics, finance, and the private sector, urban ecosystems, urban coastal zones, public health, housing and informal settlements, energy, water, transportation, solid waste, and governance. The Summary also presents five pathways to urban transformations that emerge throughout the ARC3.2 report, including:
Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation are the cornerstones of resilient cities.
Actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing resilience are a win-win.
Risk assessments and climate action plans co-generated with the full range of stakeholders and scientists are most effective.
Needs of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable citizens should be addressed in climate change planning and action.
Advancing city creditworthiness, developing robust city institutions, and participating in city networks enable climate action.
The ARC3.2 report was co-edited by Dr. Paty Romero-Lankao, at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). According to Romero-Lankao, “The Report is the most comprehensive assessment of urban climate change risk, adaptation and mitigation research and action to date.”
These pathways provide a foundational framework for the successful development and implementation of climate change. UCCRN advises cities to immediately act on climate, as nearly two-thirds of world’s population will live in cities by 2050.
The Report supplies statements on general trends and conditions derived from the most recent research on urban climate change as well as city-specific details from 100 case studies developed in conjunction with the Assessment.
UCCRN Regional Hubs in Europe, Latin America, Australia, Africa and Asia promote enhanced opportunities for urban climate change adaptation and mitigation knowledge and information transfer, both within and across cities, by engaging in on-going dialogue between stakeholders. Dr. Rosenzweig said “the Hubs help link knowledge to action with tools like ARC3.2 Case Study Docking Station, an online searchable database of what 100 cities do to solve climate change.” These city climate actions are available online at uccrn.org/casestudies
“The ARC3.2 Case Study Docking Station provides readers with an opportunity to query information and data about climate change actions that they deem relevant to their own city interests and needs,” according Dr. William Solecki,at Hunter College at the City University of New York and another Co-Editor of the report.
The ARC3.2 authors are scholars from a variety of universities and institutions in cities around the world. The Co-Editors of the ARC3.2 report are Cynthia Rosenzweig, William Solecki of Hunter College of the City University of New York, Paty Romero-Lankao of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Shagun Mehrotra of Milano at the New School, and Shobhakar Dhakal of the Asian Institute of Technology.
About UCCRN:
UCCRN is a global consortium of individuals and institutions dedicated to the analysis of climate change mitigation and adaptation from an urban perspective. Based out of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, the Network aims to institutionalize a sustained state-of-the-knowledge assessment process of climate change science tailored for urban needs, drawing on the experience of cities across the world as they act to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
For more information on the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN) and the UCCRN Assessment Reports on Climate Change and Cities, visit www.uccrn.org.
Contacts:
UCCRN Program Manager, Somayya Ali Ibrahim: sa2619@columbia.edu
UCCRN Co-Director, Cynthia Rosenzweig: crr2@columbia.edu