Climate change and multi-dimensional sustainable urbanization

Abstract

Global large-scale urbanization and climate change have become indisputable scientific facts yet are unresolved issues, and are a common concern for mankind. The relationship between these two topics is unclear and it is not known how to deal appropriately at the scientific level with climate change in the process of urbanization. Further exploration of the science, management and practice, are needed to achieve global and regional sustainadevelopment. This paper first considers the basic facts concerning mass urbanization and climate change and summarizes the interactions and possible mechanisms of urbanization and climate change. Urbanization leads to the heat island effect, an uneven distribution of precipitation and extreme weather, together with a local-regional-global multi-scale superposition effect, which aggravates the consequences of global climate change. The impact of climate change on urbanization is mainly manifested in aspects such as changes of energy consumption, mortality, and the spread of infectious diseases, sea level rise, extreme weather damage to infrastructure, and water shortages. This paper also briefly reviews relevant international research programs and action coalitions and puts forward an analysis framework multi-dimensional sustainable urbanization which can adapt to and mitigate climate change, from the perspective of the four key dimensions-population, land use, economy, and society. It is imperative that we strengthen the interdisciplinary activities involving the natural and social sciences, take urbanization and other human activities into consideration of the landatmosphere system, and explore the human-land-atmosphere coupling process. The adaptation and mitigation from the perspective of human activities, as represented by urbanization, might be the most critical and realistic way to deal with climate change.

An assessment of priorities in handling climate change impacts on infrastructures

“…In this regard, several articles focus on the negative consequences of this phenomenon in cities and urban areas affected by rapid mass urbanisation. It is proven in the literature that this scenario contributes to the heat island effect and reinforces an uneven distribution of precipitation and extreme weather 65 . For this reason, the research aims to explore innovative and sustainable ways of urbanisation 66 , taking into consideration crucial elements such as the vulnerability in urban areas, the higher risks faced by vulnerable populations 67 , marginalisation of disadvantaged groups from green facilities, and stressing the importance to foster community resilience 68 .…”

Sustainable urbanization and vulnerability to climate change in Africa: Accounting for digitalization and institutional quality

“…Overall, this result is consistent with the empirical literature that globally shows that sustainable urbanization by promoting sanitation, access to water, and electricity actively contributes to reducing vulnerability to climate change (Goebel, 2007; Roy, 2009; Sanchez Rodriguez et al, 2018). This contribution of sustainable urbanization is further justified by the fact that it promotes adaptation and resilience to climate change by facilitating access to health services, limiting environmental degradation by the development of green spaces, the development and maintenance of basic sanitation services, and the development and improvement of access to electricity and drinking water (Buzási et al, 2022; Chen et al, 2021; Tonne et al, 2021).…”

Developing computable sustainable urbanization science: interdisciplinary perspective

“…The carbon cycle processes and the urbanization process both are important processes on the Earth’s surface, which reflect the interaction between man and land. In-depth exploration of the interactions, impact mechanisms and implementation pathways of climate change, carbon neutrality and sustainable urbanization, is an important content for the comprehensive understanding of multi-layer coupling and interfacial processes in the Earth’s surface system, and helps to promote the synergistic effects of multiple objectives such as SDGs, carbon neutrality and sustainable urbanization (Canadell et al, 2010 ; Chen et al, 2021 ). It is important to recognize that human activities represented by large-scale urbanization are important causes of climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions (Khoshnevis Yazdi & Golestani Dariani, 2019 ), including the impact of urbanization on natural ecosystem elements such as surface vegetation and hydrology (Falkowski et al, 2000 ; Dangendorf et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Urbanization is the most significant human activity currently occurring on the Earth’s surface. In recent decades, the world has experienced large-scale and rapidly expanding urbanization (Chen et al, 2014 , 2021 ). This rapid urbanization has been accompanied by concentrated growth in urban population, dramatic changes in land use, and soaring carbon emissions from the massive fossil energy burning.…”