UN-Habitat’s Cities and Climate Change Initiative promotes enhanced climate change mitigation and adaptation in developing country cities. This document is an initial output of the Cities and Climate Change Initiative activities in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. This abridged report is based on the report titled: “Kathmandu Valley, Nepal – Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment”. Starting with a brief background of the Kathmandu Valley, this report addresses the climate change situation from a comprehensive vulnerability perspective that focuses on exposure to climate change hazards, socio-economic sensitivities and the adaptive capacities of the city and its stakeholders. Based on this analysis the report identifies vulnerable people, places and sectors.

Climate change is severely impacting many countries around the world and Pakistan is no exception. With its largely arid geographical profile and resource scarcity the country is particularly vulnerable. From 1929-2005, the return period of disasters has become shorter, reducing from 56 years in 1929 to only 5 years in 2005. The country is susceptible to a wide range of hazards including landslides, floods, droughts and cyclones. The Global Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) compiled by Maplecroft ranked Pakistan as the 29th most vulnerable country over 2009-2010, and the 16th most vulnerable over 2010-11.

Climate change is already affecting millions of people worldwide. In urban areas, which are typically characterized by significantly higher population density, climate change will exacerbate and compound existing vulnerabilities, especially for the urban poor. Across Indonesia cities are facing two interlinked challenges, that of rapid population growth and the impacts of climate change.

Rapid urbanization offers the benefits of larger economies, increased human resources, and potentially more development opportunities, however, unplanned rapid growth can also strain public services and infrastructure, invite casualization of labour and unsafe informal sector employment, causes pollution and overwhelm ecosystems, and leads to traffic congestion.

The Apia, Samoa - Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (Abridged Report) is an output of the Cities and Climate Change Initiative activities in Apia, Samoa. This abridged report is based on the report titled: “Apia, Samoa – Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment” funded by the United Nations Development Account, and the Cities and Climate Change Initiative. Starting with a brief background of the city, this report addresses Apia’s climate change situation from a climate risk perspective that focuses on exposure to climate change hazards, socio-economic sensitivities and the adaptive capacities of the city and its stakeholders. Following the insights gained from clarifying the climate change challenges, the report proposes the key sectors for climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in Apia. It finally recommends key actions to be undertaken as part of a comprehensive Apia responsestrategy, reinforcing priority adaptation options.

In Vietnamese cities, as in other cities globally, urban centers are often located in highly risk-prone areas, such as in the coastal zone, along rivers or among mountains. Major types of infrastructure, such as roads, hospitals and water supply networks, as well as basic services such as healthcare, are vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. In coastal areas, storm surges and sea-level rise can affect food supply and settlements. In Viet Nam, it is projected that sea levels will rise by 57 to 73 millimetres by 2100.

In Papua New Guinea, as in many areas in the Pacific, urban populations are often located in hazard-prone areas in the coastal zone. Storm surges and sea-level rise can affect settlements, food production and infrastructure. A lack of basic services such as clean water supply and solid waste management can exacerbate the negative effects of climate change. Amid all this, the poorest are almost always the most vulnerable, as they have less access to infrastructure, basic services and social safety nets in the event of a disaster

The vulnerability and adaptation assessment for Honiara is to provide national and local government decision makers and community leaders with information relevant to defining their adaptation priorities and plans, with the view of eventually integrating this into their regular programmes and budgets. The vulnerability and adaptation assessment will also provide guidance in identifying where and what critical actions are needed to effectively manage the unavoidable impacts of climate change.

The vulnerability assessment of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, is the result of an in-depth national and local literature and data review, interviews and discussions with an extensive range of local government stakeholders and a community-focused participatory assessment. It considers existing vulnerabilities, municipal plans and priorities and assesses how climate change will affect these.Initial recommendations focus on the integration of climate change into the coastal-urban master plan. In particular, improving basic services such as storm water drainage and solid waste management are priority areas. Early warning systems and disaster preparedness, coastal zone protection and livelihood strategies for the most vulnerable groups are other priorities.

The Maputo Climate Change Assessment is based on the proposed Framework for Urban Climate Risk Assessment developed by the Fifth Urban Research Symposium. The climate risk assessment framework focuses on how cities are affected by climate change as opposed to how they contribute to climate change, and thus adaptation rather than mitigation is highlighted.

The framework analyses climate risk from three interconnected vectors – hazards, vulnerability and adaptive capacities. The Maputo summary is based on the report titled “Climate Change Impacts in Urban Areas of Mozambique, A Pilot Initiative in Maputo City: Preliminary Assessment and Proposed Implementation Strategy”, an initial output of the city’s activities under the Cities and Climate Change Initiative.

The Sorsogon Climate Change Assessment examines the climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation capacity of a small coastal city in the Philippines - Sorsogon City in the Bicol Region. The assessment uses a participatory Vulnerability and Adaptation process that looks into the city’s exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity vis-a-vis projected climate scenarios, previous climate related disaster events and people’s account of the past events and observations.

The summary is based on the report titled “Sorsogon City Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment”, an initial output of the city’s activities under the Cities and Climate Change Initiative.