CDP, the organization that provides a platform for cities and companies to report climate change related data and greenhouse gas information, recently released its 2016 Global Cities Report. The report highlights the 533 cities from 89 countries around the world disclosing sustainability information. The Global Cities report provides a high level summary worldwide and regionally, of the climate hazards, mitigation and adaptation activities, water risks and adaptive actions and economic opportunities related to climate change reported by these cities.
The report highlights information from 131 cities in the U.S. and Canada.
For these North American cities,
- 63% reported a city-wide emissions reduction target, and
- 89% view climate change as a significant risk to their city, with the top three climate hazards identified as floods, extreme temperatures and extreme storms/precipitation.
In addition, 85 cities acknowledged substantive risks in their water supply in the short or long term, with increased water scarcity, flooding and inadequate or gaining infrastructure the top water supply risks disclosed. The top three water adaptation actions disclosed were conservation awareness and education, stormwater management (natural and man-made infrastructure) and investment in existing water supply infrastructure.
A companion report entitled It Takes a City: The Case for Collaborative Climate Action says 56% of the 533 cities worldwide identified opportunities for developing new business or industry related to climate change action. The report also says that 720 climate change-related projects, worth a combined $26 billion, were identified by cities as opportunities for partnering with the private sector on solutions. The companion report also provides an overview of ways that cities are collaborating with business to address climate change issues.