Climate Change

The density of cities in the South makes populations particularly vulnerable to climate change-related disasters (floods, droughts, cyclones...). In slums, the quality of housing and physical structures does not prepare the inhabitants to protect themselves against climate risks. As more than half of the cities in Africa and Asia are located on or near the coast, the number of people affected each year by coastal flooding is expected to increase and exceed the current figure of 10 million people due to the predicted rise in sea level. Highly populated and low-lying areas are particularly at risk.

The consequences of climate change are also expected to affect the health status of millions of urban poor through increased malnutrition, diseases related to heat waves, floods, storms, fires and droughts. Despite predictions and the magnitude of expected disruptions, uncertainty remains about the reality of the impact of climate change. These uncertainties hamper projections and tend to slow down decision-making in development strategies. In the face of these uncertainties, the notion of investments without regrets has developed, the particularity of which is to achieve positive returns whatever the climate scenario.

Water and energy are two fluids at the heart of the climate issue and are intertwined in a complex way in the development of mitigation and adaptation strategies. Cities currently account for 75% of global energy consumption and produce 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. Under the cumulative effect of urban population growth, changing local weather conditions and economic growth, energy demand could rise sharply. Although energy is at the heart of the climate change issue, particularly in terms of the extent of its environmental impacts, it offers an undeniable field of action in terms of mitigating the effects (hydropower, renewable energies, energy efficiency in infrastructures, etc.).

Water resources, strongly impacted by climate change in terms of quantity and quality, are at the forefront of adaptation strategies due to the multidimensional fields of intervention (reduction of leaks in networks, improvement of water management methods, flood risk management). Like energy, the demand for water in cities in particular is expected to increase due to the multiplication of heat waves and population growth. The consequences of climate change on rainfall and sea levels could also affect water treatment and quality in cities.

Adaptation strategies take on a crucial dimension in developing cities where poverty is a major vulnerability factor. Preserving and strengthening infrastructure for access to essential services and developing warning systems, and using renewable energy are crucial to the resilience of cities to climate change.

While mitigation appears to be global, the implementation of policies to respond to the impacts of climate change in cities is mainly the responsibility of local governments and must involve the mobilisation of actors in the field, and no doubt citizens in the front line. Several countries are preparing "national programmes of action for adaptation to climate change" and many initiatives are emerging, such as the Rockefeller Foundation programme, which aims to reduce the socio-economic impacts of climate hazards and the vulnerability of the poorest populations through the planning, coordination and implementation of city resilience strategies.

Since 2015, the United Nations Assembly (goal 11 proposed in the framework of the SDOs), COP21 and soon COP22 have also been drawing the attention of decision-makers to the urgency of building sustainable and resilient cities.

* 90% of natural disasters are water-related (UNESCO). Water is the first resource impacted by climate change.

* Agriculture, 1st water user 70% of the world's water used for rainfed and irrigated agricultural production (IWMI).

* Globally, the energy sector is the 2nd largest user of water (OECD/IEA).

By 2025, 1.8 billion people will live in countries or regions with absolute water shortages (less than 500 m3 per year/person) (FAO).
Freshwater ecosystems lost 76% of their species between 1970 and 2010 (WWF).

The international community began climate negotiations at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, establishes binding reduction commitments for industrialised countries.

* According to the 5th report of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), GHG emissions increased by 2.2% from 2000 to 2010. At this rate, the 2-degree warming threshold will be reached as early as 2030.

* Rising sea levels are a major concern due to urban concentration on the seafront.

* By 2025, 1/3 of the world's population could be in a state of water stress.

* During COP21, the topic of adaptation was reduced while mitigation was given priority.

* Morocco wishes to give a place to water both in terms of mitigation and adaptation. The country has selected water, energy and agriculture as priority axes; these axes meet the needs of populations, particularly those in Africa.