Climate-resilient development planning for cities: progress from Cape Town
Nicholas P. Simpson, Kayleen Jeanne Simpson, Albert T. Ferreira, Andrew Constable, Bruce Glavovic, Siri Eriksen, Debora Ley, William Solecki, Roberto Sánchez Rodríguez, Lindsay C. Stringer
Abstract
There is a narrow and closing window of opportunity to shift urban pathways towards development futures that are more climate-resilient and sustainable. This is particularly important for cities implementing local-level climate action together with urgent developmental and sustainability concerns. Climate-resilient development (CRD) is a process of implementing climate action, including greenhouse gas mitigation and risk reduction adaptation measures, to support sustainable development for all 1 . Pursuing CRD involves considering a broader range of sustainable development priorities, policies and practices, as well as enabling societal choices to accelerate and deepen their implementation making climate action and sustainable development interdependent 2 . While prevailing development pathways do not advance climate-resilient development, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has identified four dimensions that enable progress towards higher climate-resilient development, including equity and justice, inclusion, knowledge diversity and ecosystem stewardship 2 . For example, without progress towards reduced inequality, development cannot be considered climate resilient 3 . Consequently, CRD emphasises the notion of inclusion as a fundamental characteristic of economies, gender, and governance 1 , 4 .