{"id":12945,"date":"2019-07-20T07:15:52","date_gmt":"2019-07-20T11:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=12945"},"modified":"2020-06-23T16:33:55","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T20:33:55","slug":"why-cities-are-more-vulnerable-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/why-cities-are-more-vulnerable-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Cities are More Vulnerable to Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Boston<\/a>
Boston \u00a9 Yu-Jen Shih\/Via Flickr CC <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is a good chance you know someone who lives in a city or you\nlive in one yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the United Nations<\/a>, 55% of the world lives in cities and by 2050 that number will change to an estimated 68% of the world population. People throughout our planet are increasingly moving from rural to urban centers, making for larger cities with greater population density than ever before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything from our coastlines to the health of people who live\nand work in cities is vulnerable to impacts of climate change. As global\ntemperatures continue to rise, our urban infrastructure and residents will\nbecome even more at risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While so many people in one place means more environmental stressors, more people also leads to greater people power to create green solutions. Here\u2019s a look at some challenges cities face and solutions that are making a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising Temperatures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Temperatures are rising and cities are\nfeeling that heat to a higher degree then their rural counterparts. Why? Look\nno further then the Urban Heat Island Effect for the answer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dark objects like asphalt, sidewalks, and rooftops absorb a lot of\nheat, which in return raises surface temperature. These types of objects cause\nthe city to \u201cbecome its own heat island,\u201d which traps hot air from naturally\ncirculating out long after the sun has gone down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During very hot summer days, consumers require more electricity to\ncool their homes, particularly in hot, urban areas that lack nature to keep\nthem cool. During \u201cpeak hours\u201d when electric\ndemand is highest, the state’s energy grid operators are forced to use\nadditional dirty fossil fuels in an effort to meet the extra demand. These\n\u201cpeaker plants\u201d are generally the dirtiest and most expensive energy sources,\ncharging for oil and gas at extremely high rates<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through programs like Greening the Gateway Cities<\/a>, the state is working to reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect by increasing tree canopy cover in urban residential Gateway Cities. The tree canopy reflects heat that would otherwise cause residents to use more electricity to cool down their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coastal Storms & Flooding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Massachusetts, 85% of residents live within 50 miles of the\ncoastline, which means most Massachusetts residents are at risk of flooding\nfrom rising sea levels and powerful storms driven by climate change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New England’s largest city, Boston, is located right on the coast. In response to the powerful Nor\u2019easters like the ones in March 2018 becoming more common, Boston has developed the Resilient Boston Harbor Plan<\/a>. This goal of this plan is to protect neighborhoods from sea level rise and flooding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High Energy Footprint<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As hubs for people to live and work, as well as large drivers of economic activity, cities tend to require more energy to function. According to C40 Cities<\/a>, a network of the world\u2019s megacities committed to addressing climate change, cities consume two-thirds of the world’s energy, accounting for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions but only occupy 2% of the world’s landmass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these large energy footprints, cities have also shown great leadership on energy reduction goals. Earlier this year, Boston announced an ambitious goal to be 100% carbon free by 2050. The Carbon Free Boston Report<\/a> outlines the strategies necessary to achieve this goal including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n