The annual United Nations climate conference COP27 is currently underway in Egypt. World leaders have gathered to discuss how to slow down the pace of global warming and more urgently how to adapt to the more frequent and stronger extreme weather events such as severe droughts, flash floods and wildfires brought by a warmer planet. 

Urban activities are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, making cities a key contributor to climate change. At the same time, cities where over half of the world's total population live have been increasingly feeling the pain brought by climate change in recent years.

Yu Kongjian, dean of the College of Architecture and Landscape at Peking University and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, has been working on solutions to improve cities' resilience in front of climate change both in and outside China.

In an interview with CGTN, he pointed out that the ancient wisdom in China could offer inspiration as to how to regulate water in a city and reduce the frequency of urban flooding. 

At the same time, he called for nature-based solutions, versus the currently prevailing gray infrastructure in urban planning. 

Watch the video to learn more. 

For more:

Shared by Nature: Wetlands – significance, threats, conservation

Shared by Nature: Climate change affects Arctic far beyond rising sea levels

Shared by Nature: Restoring degraded peatlands to mitigate climate change

Shared by Nature: Why is China setting up international mangrove center in Shenzhen?

(Cover image designed by CGTN's Yin Yating)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)