The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that cities are vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change and that changes should be done soon to mitigate these impacts.
In their latest report, the IPCC mentioned that cities play a major role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions as well as in decreasing energy consumption. Fifty percent of the whole population is residing in cities, and this amount will increase drastically by 2050.
"In a sense, they are the carbon criminals of this world, but they also provide us with really good opportunities," Dr. Tim Wilson of the University of Reading, UK told BBC.
Scientists recommend using retrofitting to cope with the impacts of climate change. Retrofitting is a process making alterations to an existing structure. Applying this technique to buildings include changes only on the inside systems such as improving the amenities or repairing it instead of creating a new building construction. This can benefit the environment as it significantly reduce energy and water usage.
One of the cities involved in such project is Vancouver, where the local government works with 120 organizations and thousands of people to develop its Greenest City 2020 Action Plan. This plan involves three key areas, namely; carbon, ecosystems, and waste.
The Greenest City 2020 envisions that by 2020, fifty percent of all trips made in Vancouver should be by foot, public transport, or bicycle.
However, according to Dr. Wilson, the Bristol and Birmingham, like Vancouver, also have advanced plans when it comes to combatting climate change. The Bristol council recently finalized their Climate Change and Energy Security Framework with the main goal to reduce carbon emissions by at least 40 percent in the year 2020, using 2005 as their baseline year.
The framework already has £1.2m for their energy fund which will be used for non-domestic buildings. They are also planning to start building wind turbines at Avonmouth to produce electricity needed in several communities.
"Getting the financing right is key. Urban areas have long lives. In 2050, something like 80% of our buildings are still going to be there," Dr Wilson said to BBC.
