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Climate hazards are becoming increasingly frequent and ferocious in nature, posing mounting challenges to cities in the form of rising sea levels, storms, heatwaves, or wildfires. Cities, home to approximately 56 per cent of the global population — or around 4.4 billion people — are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to their population density, high-emission industries, and vital assets. As 70 percent of the world's population is projected to reside in cities by 2050, designing climate resilient cities should be a high priority for city governments.

A WEF report states that an estimated 44 per cent of global GDP generated in cities is at risk of disruption from the loss of natural ecosystems. By nature of their urban design, green spaces in cities have been diminished over time, thereby reducing a city’s capacity to absorb carbon emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. Traffic congestion and outdated public transport systems contribute significantly to air pollution and carbon emissions. Many historical cities have aging infrastructure, making them vulnerable to floods, storms, and heatwaves. Coastal cities face great risks from floods and rising sea levels.

Climate disasters resulted in economic losses of $83.5 billion across Europe in 2023 alone. From 1980 to 2023, nearly 50 million people in the EU were impacted by these disasters, which caused an average annual economic loss of approximately $15.2 billion. In the past month, communities worldwide have faced severe threats to their livelihoods. Regions in France and Italy have been struggling with severe floods, while in Bangladesh, flooding has destroyed an estimated 1.1........

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