40. Climate Change and Cities_US

Cities are vulnerable to climate change because they concentrate many people and buildings into a relatively small area. Consequently, even a relatively contained weather event can affect a large number of people. Cities are also very dependent on their “lifelines” – transportation systems to move people and goods, communications systems, water and energy distribution, sewers and waste removal systems. The concentration of people and wealth in cities, and their dependence on these infrastructure systems make urban centers particularly vulnerable to weather extremes. In this episode of The Urban Squeeze, Tony Matthews looks at the unique cause and effect relationship between cities and climate change and discusses what cities can do to reduce or manage climate change impacts now and into the future. Tony also details what cities globally are doing really well in responding to climate change and why they’re motivated to act. He also tackles a vexing question: Why are some cities doing really well with their responses to climate change even when the countries they are in are doing poorly overall? @CityByrne @drtonymatthews @MattWebberWrite