Page 19 - Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

urban areas; and this number is expected to grow over the coming years. Over 70 per cent of
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energy-related CO emissions can be traced back to cities , which are responsible for about 75 per Chapter 1
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cent of all energy consumption. 20
Cities are also more and more at risk from the direct and indirect impacts of climate change, which
means that most of the global costs of adaptation to climate change are likely to be incurred by, and
within, cities. These costs will increasingly include those associated with negative health outcomes
resulting directly from air pollution in urban areas; currently, approximately 7 million people around
the world die every year from exposure to air pollution alone.
21
Rising sea levels are another impact of climate change that is of particular concern for those living in
low-lying urban coastal areas, especially with the global mean sea level reportedly rising 3.7 mm higher
in 2018 than the previous year. The resulting risks to transportation, especially in the case of coastal
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transport infrastructure, pose significant threats to global trade and development. International
maritime transport carries over 80 per cent of the volume of world trade and provides access to
global markets for all countries, including those that are landlocked. 23

For small island developing states (SIDS), which are already exposed to major natural hazards, the
outlook is particularly alarming. Their critical reliance on coastal transport infrastructure, in particular
seaports and airports, worsens their susceptibility to climate change impacts such as rising sea-
levels and extreme weather events. These impacts threaten trade and disaster relief efforts, as well
as international tourism, which is the crown jewel of economic development in SIDS that requires
secure and reliable international transport connections. Yet SIDS and other developing countries
have limited capacity to adapt and build the resilience of their transport infrastructure to cope with
climate change. The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are similarly affected and the UN Office for
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Disaster Risk Reduction estimates that average annual losses in the LDCs in 2017 due to disasters
were 8.5 per cent of GDP.
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Also at risk are the planet’s life-supporting eco-systems themselves. A comprehensive UN study has
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found that ‘nearly one million species risk becoming extinct within decades, while current efforts to
conserve the Earth’s resources will likely fail without radical action. Although the planet already has
specially designed ecosystems to heal itself, there is an urgent need to define how to rapidly identify
where the areas of highest concern are, and where the greatest opportunities for restoration lie.’ 27

18 The World Bank. ‘Urban Development: Overview.” World Bank Group, 1 Apr. 2019, www .worldbank .org/ en/ topic/
urbandevelopment/ overview.
19 C40. “Why Cities?” C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, Inc., www .c40 .org/ why _cities.
20 UN-Habitat. “Energy.” unhabitat .org/ urban -themes/ energy/ .
21 World Health Organization (WHO). ‘Ambient and Household Air Pollution and Health.” 12 Jul. 2019, www .who .int/
airpollution/ data/ en/ .
22 McGrath, Matt. “Climate Change: Global Impacts 'Accelerating' - WMO.” BBC News, BBC News Services, 28 Mar. 2019,
www .bbc .com/ news/ science -environment -47723577.
23 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). ‘Urgent Need for Climate Adaptation in Transport,
Say Experts.’ 25 Apr. 2019, unctad .org/ en/ pages/ newsdetails .aspx ?OriginalVersionID = 2063 & utm _source = CIO %2B -
%2BGeneral %2Bpublic & utm _campaign = d4eace132f -UNCTAD %2BCSO %2BNewsletter %2B16 %2BNovember _COPY _01
& utm _medium = email & utm _term = 0 _3d334fa428 -d4eace132f -70437777.
24 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). ‘Urgent Need for Climate Adaptation in Transport,
Say Experts.’ 25 Apr. 2019, unctad .org/ en/ pages/ newsdetails .aspx ?OriginalVersionID = 2063 & utm _source = CIO %2B -
%2BGeneral %2Bpublic & utm _campaign = d4eace132f -UNCTAD %2BCSO %2BNewsletter %2B16 %2BNovember _COPY _01
& utm _medium = email & utm _term = 0 _3d334fa428 -d4eace132f -70437777.
25 General Assembly Economic and Social Council. ‘Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed
Countries for the Decade 2011-2020: Report of the Secretary-General.’ 2019, unohrlls .org/ custom -content/ uploads/
2019/ 03/ SG -report -on -IPoA -2019 -Advance -Unedited .pdf.
26 Watts, Jonathan. ‘Human Society under Urgent Threat from Loss of Earth's Natural Life.’ The Guardian, Guardian
News and Media, 6 May 2019, www .theguardian .com/ environment/ 2019/ may/ 06/ human -society -under -urgent
-threat -loss -earth -natural -life -un -report ?utm _source = Environmental %2BPeacebuilding & utm _campaign = 856333aebd
-EMAIL _CAMPAIGN _2019 _04 _11 _08 _55 _COPY _01 & utm _medium = email & utm _term = 0 _7c78b406a1 -856333aebd
-519355341.
27 MapX. ‘Saving Wildlife and Ecosystems Using New Technologies.’ 22 May 2019, www .mapx .org/ news/ newsletters/
saving -wildlife -and -ecosystems -using -new -technologies/ .

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