The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), released just prior to an international climate convention in 2015, explicitly stated that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions were the highest in history, with clear and widespread impacts on the climate system. Since then, hundreds of cities across the world have published their own climate action plans (CAPs), detailing how their urban areas will handle climate change. How do the plans stack up against one another and against the recommended guidelines established by the United Nations-Habitat Guiding Principles for City Climate Action Planning?
To better understand the content and structure of these CAPs — and what lessons may be learned from them — researchers from Hiroshima University analyzed 278 urban CAPs established since 2015.
They published their findings on May 10 in Urban Climate.
“There is limited knowledge about the global situation of the content and structure of urban CAPs adopted or published after AR5 — most existing studies are either limited in geographical scope or thematic focus,” said first author Prince Dacosta Aboagye, a doctoral student in Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences. “In this study, we critically analyze the content and structure of urban CAPs adopted or published post-AR5 and examine how these urban CAPs align with selected climate action planning best practices.”
Read more at: Hiroshima University
Green infrastructure offers multiple benefits for climate change adaptation and mitigation (Photo Credit: Ayyoob Sharifi/Hiroshima University)