World Cities Day focuses on climate resilience

AMMAN — World Cities Day 2021, observed annually on October 31, calls for adapting cities for climate resilience. 

Designated by the UN General Assembly, World Cities Day aims to promote cooperation between countries in addressing challenges of urbanisation and contributing to sustainable urban development across the globe. 

The theme for World Cities Day 2021 is “Adapting Cities for Climate Resilience”, highlighting that integrated climate resilience policies and action plans greatly reduce climate related risks for urban populations.

Urban engineer Mohammad Khalil told The Jordan Times that “climate change significantly impacts cities, which eventually has serious effects on human livelihoods, therefore it is important to build long-term resilience for cities, in order to respond promptly and effectively to existing and future climate impacts”.

Khalil added that cities should include climate considerations into all their current and future plans, in addition to implementing a “dynamic process” that will help achieve sustainable development.

The UN website states that “urbanisation provides the potential for new forms of social inclusion, including greater equality, access to services and new opportunities, and engagement and mobilisation that reflects the diversity of cities, countries and the globe”. 

According to the UN Habitat website, Jordan is a country affected by the phenomenon of climate change, as it suffers from increasing temperatures, an increase in drought-affected areas, erratic rainfall and wobbling heat waves. 

“Jordan is prone to many risks, including natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods, droughts, the risk of locust invasions [and] severe weather conditions,” the website added.