Four out of five cities suffer from extreme weather events

According to a recent study, four out of five cities around the world are already exposed to extreme weather events such as extreme heat or flooding. This is the result of a study published on Thursday by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which systematically collects and evaluates climate plans and data from cities and companies. Almost half are struggling with heat waves, but heavy rainfall or even flooding are also a problem in around a third of the cities.

In a third of the 1000 cities evaluated, 70 percent of the population is threatened by extreme weather events. These include older people or people with previous illnesses. In a quarter of the cities, it is assumed that high-risk extreme weather events will increase as a result of climate change by 2025, so that adjustments will be necessary.

As part of the analysis, the Carbon Disclosure Project found out that those cities that put their citizens at the center of their climate protection plans benefit in particular. This can mean taking into account the needs of particularly vulnerable groups or involving the population in how measures should be specifically designed.

According to the evaluation, cities that take such so-called citizen-centric climate measures benefit five times more often from the fact that new jobs are created as a result. Three quarters of these cities reported improved environmental factors such as more green space or better water or soil quality. Cities that put citizens at the center of their climate policy would not only reduce emissions, but would also have economic and social gains, said expert Maia Kutner, who heads the Cities and Regions division at the organization.

According to the CDP data, only half of the cities have included their population in the planning so far. Around two-fifths take endangered groups into account in their risk analyses.