Thank you all for your contributions and interactions during this introductory phase of the Learning Alliance on Climate Resilient Cities. It was great to see many of you already asking each other questions and sharing experiences from your regions! This is what the Learning Alliance is about, and it is your active participation and interaction with others that will enrich the learning experience. I will give a brief summary of the discussion on how the climate is affecting your cities and how they are responding.
The vast majority of posts came from Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia – the global south. We could see that climatic events are affecting cities across our regions in very similar ways; the effects of climate variability in terms of aggravating existing problems were common across regions; and the major challenges to be overcome when tackling climate challenges were indeed similar. Although we only touched upon the idea of planning to overcome climatic challenges at the city level, we can already see that there are varied approaches, and we look forward to hearing more about these throughout the course of the Learning Alliance.
A very important point to pick up on, which recurred many times throughout the posts was that we cannot attribute all existing problems experienced as a result of natural events to climate change. Some participants were concerned with the use of the term ‘climate change’. I would not want this distinction to impede our discussions and would like to suggest that we consider strategies to improve resilience in cities on account of climate variability, which will worsen with time. Many participants directly pointed to the idea that the denial of climate change is a major barrier to development in cities. Thinking that climate change is something that will happen in future, and thus waiting to act rather than taking proactive measures to reduce risks and existing climate aggravated problems now. Many participants theorised that a holistic approach to climate change would be the most effective means of achieving change – integrating climate considerations into all plans, policies and development actions at the city level.
One of the main barriers to change that was noted across all regions was the relative inaction of city governments. Many participants explained research projects and promising strategies and plans that have alas not yet come to fruition. It seems that in many cities it is not the lack of planning on how to address climate challenges that is leaving cities vulnerable, but it is the putting of these plans into action that proves to be difficult. Some point out that the reason for this is the lack of conviction in long-term investments, due to the nature of national and local politics. In many countries climate change is not a priority due to the myriad of existing development needs. We will be looking at city level plans and policies in the first week of Module 1.
The level of awareness and understanding about climate risks and climate change realities was mentioned time and time again – for all levels of society. Many participants noted that awareness among communities is a key priority, and that city dwellers should be educated about climate threats and included in planning decisions. We did see that some programmes, mainly led by civil society groups, are working on exactly this issue across our regions.
Another recurring commentary was about the importance of using multi-stakeholder groups when planning for and addressing climate challenges. Many participants suggested that players from the government, civil society, the private sector, academia and the community, should work together to identify risks, formulate plans and put them into action. Few successful practical examples were given, but this week’s discussion was not focused on that. In module 2 we will look at the involvement institutions and the community.
In terms of which climatic changes have been seen in cities across our regions, the main cause of problems seem to be heavy rainfall and resultant flooding. Heavy rainfall coupled with a variety of aggravators has been wreaking havoc in cities around the world:
- Many cities across our nations are located on the coastline or on riverbanks
- Poor drainage systems worsen flood damage
- Poor quality infrastructure is easily damaged by heaving rain causing a variety of knock on problems
- Lack of building codes for housing
- High level of rural-urban migration
- Unplanned cities see urban dwellers settling in high risk areas: on riverbanks, hillsides, and other unstable grounds
Indeed many participants attributed the lack of land-use planning as one of the main challenges that cities need to overcome in order to become more resilient to climate change. We will be looking at land-use planning during the course of Module 1.
Many participants also spoke about the impact of rising temperatures, decreased rainfall and intense droughts. Some spoke about droughts in rural areas that have the knock-on effect of causing food security issues in cities. Droughts in cities also raise concerns over access to drinking water. We heard about some civil society action to drill boreholes, but there was an increasing concern over the lowering of water tables.
The three problems that were most often citied by participants as being aggravated by both slow-onset and extreme weather events were poor water access, poor waste management and poor sanitation, leading to a host of health issues (water-borne and vector-borne). Many actions were seen across all regions that are attempting to address these issues. In Module 3, when we look at ways to improve resilience in the built environment we will delve more deeply into these issues, and uncover solutions from across our regions.
We welcome any comments on this brief summary, and will shortly be uploading a database that systematises responses to this introductory discussion.
All the best from Rio de Janeiro,
Charlotte and the ELLA team
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