Sustainability

Building climate change resilience in cities

November 26, 2014

Global

November 26, 2014

Global
Carolyn Whelan

Senior editor, Americas

Carolyn is a senior editor for The Economist Intelligence Unit's thought leadership division in the Americas. She manages research programs for foundations and corporations on topics ranging from urbanization and jobs to sustainability and youth economic prospects. She has over 20 years’ experience in journalism. Until 2013 Carolyn contributed articles to Fortune, Newsweek, the IHT and SciAm.com about urbanization, infrastructure, trade, technology and transportation, among other topics. She has also written materials for Ernst & Young, Columbia Business School and the United Nations. Earlier Carolyn covered the technology and healthcare beats for Barron’s Online and Dow Jones Newswires in Paris, respectively. She broke into journalism covering the 1992 Earth Summit and subsequently worked for the World Wildlife Fund in Switzerland. Ms. Whelan holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Virginia and is a 2006 Columbia Business School Knight-Bagehot Fellow. She is Swiss and American, and speaks fluent French and Spanish.

Contact

This report shows that 90% of business leaders believe they can help prepare cities for the effects of climate change, with 51% saying that investing in climate change resilience gives them a competitive edge.

The dovetailing of potentially devastating climate change impacts and urbanization by mid-century is of great concern to municipal leaders. The portion of the world living in cities is slated to rise to two-thirds of the global population (or 6.4 billion), up from 54% today, according to the United Nations. In tandem, the frequency and severity of floods, storms and drought as a result of climate change are expected to rise significantly in the coming decades, particularly in coastal areas, where many large cities are located. Forging preparative responses for these changes has thus taken on a new sense of urgency for government officials, non-governmental organizations and business leaders.  

For business, the executive survey, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, finds that the biggest perceived market and operational risk from climate change is the disruption of energy supplies, which could severely impact on a company’s ability to operate. 

Enjoy in-depth insights and expert analysis - subscribe to our Perspectives newsletter, delivered every week