Cities and Climate Change: From the new climate agreement to the New Urban Agenda

General Information

As the world works towards a new climate agreement, the issue of how cities reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change merits serious attention. Today, more than half of the people on the planet live in urban areas and this proportion is expected to increase significantly over the coming decades.

The process of incorporating climate change concerns into the New Urban Agenda already has begun. As part of the Habitat III preparatory process, UN agencies and programmes have elaborated a set of 22 Issue Papers, including one on “Cities, climate change and disaster risk management”.

One Policy Unit will subject the priority topic of “Urban ecology and resilience” (including climate change) to thorough analysis and research, prior to releasing a high level policy paper on this issue.

Objective of the Session

• To discuss and raise awareness about the linkages and synergies that exist between the elements of a hoped-for new Climate Agreement and the New Urban Agenda to be formulated in 2016.

Format of the Session

1. Opening / Introduction: The session will begin with opening remarks and an introductory session in which high level representatives from different constituencies and geographic origins will outline the overall framework and objectives of the debate.
2. Panel discussion: Then international panelists will discuss: (1) various key aspects of the topic of cities and climate change, in the context of the road from COP-21 in Paris, as well as (2) addressing climate change on the road to Habitat III in Quito.

View the Session Programme.

Guiding Questions

• What do you see as the key themes related to cities and climate change that should be carried forward from the climate negotiation process towards Habitat III?
• How can national level planning processes and mechanisms inaugurated under the UNFCCC contribute to more sustainable urban development?
• How can local and subnational efforts to address climate change be better integrated into national level efforts?
• How could certain commitments made under the hoped-for new Climate Agreement be incorporated into and reinforced by a New Urban Agenda?

Focal Points

• Robert Kehew, UN-Habitat (Robert.kehew@unhabitat.org)
• Marcus Mayr, UN-Habitat (Marcus.mayr@unhabitat.org)
• Roi Chiti, Habitat III Secretariat (Roi.chiti@unhabitat.org)

For more information,view the UNFCCC Website.