Climate change affects all aspects of human, plant, and animal life. Since its beginning, it has been getting more hazardous and expanding throughout the world. Nowadays all parts of the world suffer from it (some more than others) and this situation is getting to a point where it cannot be stopped, it cannot be saved, where there is no turning back.
No matter how many scientists, experts, and protests warn about it, governments make promises which they have no intention of keeping. These decisions are hurting every place on earth, but in this report, we will focus on cities.
Cities are particularly hit by the dangerous consequences of climate change because they are filled by humans, which are the core of the issue, and because large enterprises are located there, so it is usual for a city to generate greenhouse gas emissions and have too much ozone in its air.
But what are the consequences of that for the health of the citizens and the development of the city? In this report, we will answer those questions and more.
According to C40, “cities consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions.”
The book Climate change and cities: First assessment report of the urban climate change research network said it best: “It is critical that policymakers focus on understanding the nature and scale of the impacts on each sector developing adaptation and mitigation strategies, and determining policy alternatives.”
Weather disasters
Cities are especially susceptible to high temperatures and weather disasters such as droughts, storms, hurricanes, and snowfalls.
These phenomenons are getting heavier and more constant because of the temperature rise caused by the greenhouse gas emission, which creates the greenhouse effect, and that happens because it increases the gases in the atmosphere. Those gases keep the sun’s heat from escaping, the more gas in the atmosphere, the more heat is kept, and thereby, temperatures rise.
Health problems
In urban areas, this higher temperature helps smog to create and hold with ozone particles, whose quantity increases with heat. Such chemical contaminants as ozone are dangerous for health and can damage the lungs and heart creating various diseases such as cancer or asthma.
Stronger and more frequent weather disasters can cause heavy injuries and deaths if they struck populated areas.
On the other hand, high temperatures alone are dangerous. Events such as heat waves can cause people with compromised health to get sick and/or die.
Collapse of infrastructures
High temperatures can cause infrastructures to not function properly. For example, asphalt can melt, which can be dangerous for cars, vehicles’ engines may overheat, so they wouldn’t be able to perform correctly.
The earlier mentioned weather disasters can alter or even destroy infrastructures too, for example, water can be corrosive for metal and if the level of water rises it can reach to this material, which could collapse.
Monetary costs
As the amount and strength of the mentioned phenomenons rise, the cost of the potential destruction it may cause is likely to rise too. The formerly mentioned book explains it in this sentence: “In Buenos Aires, the damage to real estate from flooding is projected to a total US$80 million per year by 2030, and US$300 million per year by 2050.”
It is getting worse
As said earlier, temperatures don’t stop rising. It is estimated that Cities are constantly growing in size and number of citizens, to the point that, in Europe, 75% of the population lives in cities right now. If the climate situation of it doesn’t change, more energy is going to be consumed and more greenhouse gas emissions are generated. Thus, more ozone and pollution and higher temperatures, which result in stronger weather disasters, as well as health problems and even deaths among citizens. Which means more money spent on repairing all the damages.
Cities are the world’s economic engines. They are a crucial part of society and where the main sources of contamination are. That is why it is the place where the fight against climate change should start.
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