Cities to face more heat waves

Creutzig and Fernandez appointed as authors for the Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities.

18.03.2014

Due to climate change, more frequent and more intense heat waves are expected for cities across the world, especially densely built cities. The associated health risks for humans are posed not only by rising temperatures but also by indirect effects such as rising levels of ozone. Overall, the heat waves will likely lead to more cases of bronchitis, asthma and heart attacks. However, not all people are equally vulnerable. Depending in part on their age, gender and wealth, some will have more challenges to contend with than others.

 

In the second Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3-2) to be published by the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN), Felix Creutzig, head of the working group Land Use, Infrastructures and Transport at the MCC, and Blanca Fernandez, member of that working group, will examine the degree to which such inequalities are shaped by cities’ strategies for mitigating climate change, including, for example, how eco-friendly urban design affects rental rates. 

 

With this contribution to the new UCCRN Assessment Report, the MCC is strengthening its focus on independent policy advice. The aim of the UCCRN is to institutionalize sustainable and up-to-date climate policy advice for city planning. The Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change has the mission to support political decision-making and alternatives for preventing and mitigating dangerous climate change through a robust knowledge base.