Impact on Cities

Approximately 360 million urban residents live in coastal areas less than 10 meters above sea level, and are vulnerable to flooding and storm surges (Satterthwaite & Moser 2008). Fifteen of the world’s 20 megacities are at the risk of rising sea levels and coastal surges. (The World Bank, 2010)

Working Paper on Planning for Climate Resilient Coastal Cities Case study brief of Panaji, Goa Case study brief of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

40% of the world’s population lives in coastal and delta areas (UN-Habitat, 2013). They will be directly affected by the forecasted sea level rise and will have to go to great lengths in terms of adaptive measures to climate change.

Mountain regions are home to nearly one sixth of the world population, which in most cases comprise the poorest of people who are most vulnerable to natural hazards and impacts of climate change.

Across all cities, about 40 million people (0.6% of the global population or roughly 1 in 10 of the total port city population in the cities considered here) are exposed to a 1 in 100 year coastal flood event.

Approximately 360 million urban residents live in coastal areas less than 10 meters above sea level, and are vulnerable to flooding and storm surges (Satterthwaite & Moser, 2008) . Fifteen of the world’s 20 megacities are at the risk of rising sea levels and coastal surges. (The World Bank, 2010)

The India Context

The projected increase in precipitation and rainfall, the glacial meltdown and rising sea levels will affect India particularly severely, creating conditions for more hazardous events and will lead to increase in incidence of floods, cyclones, and storm surges. Though it is not possible to predict the future frequency or timings of extreme events, there is evidence that the risk of drought, flood, and cyclone damage is increasing day by day, and will continue to do so. Climate change is also likely to threaten India’s food security, increasing water stress and occurrences of diseases such as Malaria.

(Mehrota et al., 2011)

The most affected populations are that of the urban poor – i.e. slum dwellers in developing countries – who tend to live along river banks; on hillsides and slopes prone to landslides; near polluted grounds; on decertified lands; in unstable structures vulnerable to earthquakes, and along waterfronts in coastal areas.
Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on four sectors in most of the cities – the local energy system; water supply, demand, and wastewater treatment; transportation; and public health.

References

UN-HABITAT. (2013). Global Activities Report 2013, Our Presence and Partnerships. Available here
Mehrotra, S., C. Rosenzweig, W. D. Solecki, C. E. Natenzon, A. Omojola, R. Folorunsho, J. Gilbride. (2011). Cities, disasters and climate risk. In Climate Change and Cities: First Assessment Report of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (pp. 15-42). C. Rosenzweig, W. D. Solecki, S. A. Hammer, S. Mehrotra, Eds. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Satterthwaite, D., & Moser, C. (2008). Pro poor Climate Change Adaptation in the Urban Centres of Low and Middle Income Countries. Washington DC: The World Bank.
The World Bank. (2010). Cities and Climate Change: An Urgent Agenda. Washington DC: The World Bank. Available here