Page 559 - Shaping smarter and more sustainable cities - Striving for sustainable development goals

1 Introduction

Climate change is a serious challenge for cities around the world. The Intergovernmental Panel on
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Climate Change (IPCC) 5 assessment report indicates that:
"The warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the
observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean
have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, sea level has risen, and the
1
concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased"
Although rapid urban growth is often seen as contributing to climate change and environmental
degradation, cities forming the epicentre of urban growth, can also be highly vulnerable to the
effects of climate change. Climate change threatens to increase vulnerability, undermine economic
gains, hinder social and economic development, and worsen access to basic services and the quality
of life of citizens. Therefore, it is imperative for cities to adapt to climate change.
ICTs have the potential to play a leading role in climate change adaptation. It can help enhancing
and improving climate change adaptation strategies in cities.
This Technical Report has been developed within the Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities
(FG‐SSC) and responds to the need to explore how ICTs can support cities' adaption to climate
change. In addition, it has also been developed with the aim of contributing to the ongoing work on
climate change adaptation within Question 15/5 of ITU‐T Study Group 5, which is the lead ITU‐T
study group on ICT environmental aspects of climate change. In particular, this report seeks to
contribute to the development of a Recommendation for the integration of ICTs in climate change
adaptation programs in cities.

1.1 Scope

The report describes the impacts of climate change in cities and explains why cities need to adapt
to its harmful effects. This report moves on to explore the crucial role that ICTs can play in helping
cities to adapt to climate change. It presents an ICT‐based framework for climate change adaptation
to assist policy makers in developing effective adaptation strategies and building resilient cities.
After identifying the key stakeholders involved in urban climate change adaptation strategies, the
report concludes with a checklist to assess ICTs' integration into the city's climate change adaptation
plan, and to identify aspects that could be strengthened in the local adaptation planning and
response.
The report is aimed at a broad audience of stakeholders interested in ICTs, climate change
adaptation, and Smart Sustainable Cities, including city decision makers and planners.

2 Climate change adaptation in cities

Cities have started to address climate change by making efforts to reduce their emissions, putting
in place several mitigation actions such as sustainable transport strategies, waste management
systems, establishing building codes or by promoting enhanced use of renewable energy. However,
GHG emissions continue to rise and cities are starting to feel the effects of climate change impacts,

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1 IPCC Report – Summary for policy makers, pg. SPM3.

ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications 549