World Bank warns of elevated global warming, calls for innovation, investment in greening cities

The World Bank has warned that green house emissions will remain above the level required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius due to lack of innovation and investment in greening cities in lower and middle income countries such as Zambia.

The Bank has warned that without innovation and investment in greening these cities, global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would remain above the level required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius – even if high- and upper-middle-income countries successfully transitioned to net zero by 2050.

This is contained in a report released by the World Bank on Friday titled “Making Cities Climate Ready.”

“If we are to meet the global target of net zero emissions by 2050, cities in lower-income countries must develop differently from the historic emissions trajectories of cities in higher-income countries,” the report stated.

Globally, about 70 percent of GHG emissions, most of which are carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, come from cities.

High- and upper-middle income countries contribute significantly to these emissions.

The report, however, indicated that cities in lower-income countries, which account for only 14 percent of all global urban CO2 emissions, would face most of the climate change-related hazards.

It stated that cities in low- and lower-middle-income countries face the highest projected climate change–related hazards.

“For these cities, projected exposure for 2030-2040 for six key hazards (floods, heat stress, tropical cyclones, sea-level rise, water stress, and wildfires) is much higher than for cities in higher-income countries,” the report.

Findings from the report showed that cities in low- and lower-middle-income countries were less resilient to increasingly frequent climate change–related shocks and stresses.

It showed that these cities suffered larger negative economic impacts from extreme weather events than did cities in higher-income countries, especially when these events reinforce a city’s baseline climatic conditions.

The report attributed lack of inclusiveness to be among key factors for the lack of resilience.

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