Mitigation and adaptation: Building urban resilience to climate risks

Editor's note: Decision Makers is a global platform for decision makers to share their insights on events shaping today's world. Fang Li is the country director of the World Resources Institute (WRI) in China. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is convening in Baku, Azerbaijan, amid the context of global climate change. While the recent U.S. election has cast further uncertainty on climate commitments, the science is clear: Addressing the climate crisis demands immediate and collective action.

Cities are at the heart of climate action. Home to 4.5 billion people and responsible for nearly 75 percent of global CO2 emissions, cities are both vulnerable to, and instrumental in, fighting climate change.

In China, where the urbanization rate of permanent residents has surpassed 65 percent and is projected to reach 70 percent by 2030, integrating climate strategies into urbanization is critical. Leveraging city renewal, this approach supports China's people-centered urbanization strategy, driving green growth and enhancing resilience to growing climate risks.

A recent World Resources Institute (WRI) study offers a stark view of the challenges ahead. Examining climate risks under 1.5 degrees Celsius and 3 degrees Celsius warming scenarios, our research assessed impacts across nearly 1,000 major cities worldwide. Data from 158 Chinese cities suggest that under a 3 degrees Celsius warming scenario, the number of high-temperature days (daily maximum temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius) in China will increase by 70 percent, with urban hubs like the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta facing some of the longest, most intense heatwaves nationwide.

WRI also warns of a 13 percent rise in landslide risks from extreme rainfall, alongside the northward spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue, heightening health threats in central, western, and northeastern China.

Undoubtedly, these shifts will impose substantial public health and infrastructure burdens, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive urban adaptation strategies.

Climate change is no longer an abstract concern. Its impacts are shaping the lives of millions, especially in urban areas, and demand a robust response across both mitigation and adaptation. As China's former special envoy for climate change, Xie Zhenhua, aptly put it, further study will be needed for coordinating climate change mitigation and collaboration, and plenty of policies are available to bring down greenhouse gas emissions and help developing countries alleviate life-threating challenges.

Major economies, particularly G20 nations responsible for 80 percent of global emissions, should scale up their efforts. Yet none are on track to meet their net-zero commitments. The cost of building climate resilience should not be seen as a burden but as a worthwhile investment. To avoid the costly consequences of worsening extreme weather, nations must elevate their ambitions, accelerate emissions reductions and build resilient infrastructures.

At COP29, China introduced its "Action Plan for Early Warning Systems to Promote Climate Change Adaptation (2025-2027)," a timely response aligned with WRI's calls for proactive risk management. This plan aims to strengthen global risk assessment, create an international early warning network, and support developing countries in enhancing their early warning capabilities, and climate change adaptation. These efforts, alongside China's National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2035 released in 2022, are a testament to China's commitment to positioning cities as central to its climate resilience efforts.

Urban renewal and infrastructure investment are among the most promising pathways for cities to achieve climate resilience. WRI's research on resilient infrastructure underscores that building for resilience is not a cost but a critical investment. For every yuan spent, the return can be up to 2 to 20 yuan over 30 years, highlighting the economic and social value of resilience.

With the right standards, cities can safeguard public safety and maintain economic stability amid climate disruptions. From sustainable drainage system to climate-smart public transit, WRI's insights demonstrate the profound value of investing early in climate-resilient infrastructure.

China's "carbon peak pilots" and urban renewal initiatives offer valuable opportunities to curb urban emissions and create replicable models. WRI's work in Shenzhen showcases this potential: Through near-zero-carbon distributed solar, energy-efficient buildings and low-carbon lifestyles, the city cut emissions by 43 percent without compromising the residents' quality of life. This success sets a benchmark for other cities pursuing near-zero-carbon communities.

WRI has also piloted climate-resilient communities in Beijing, Shanghai and beyond. These projects not only reduce risks posed by climate change but also engage residents, who increasingly recognize climate threats and are willing to invest in resilience.

The path forward requires collaboration. Governments, private sector leaders and communities must integrate climate-resilient technologies into urban renewal at scale. Community-based knowledge-sharing and local climate governance are essential for empowering residents to actively engage in resilience efforts. As WRI research consistently demonstrates, these investments in both infrastructure and community knowledge are indispensable to an effective response to the climate crisis.

As COP29 continues in Baku, WRI is calling on leaders to commit to ambitious climate action that draws on research and innovation. The challenges ahead are daunting, but we have the tools, data and collective responsibility to act decisively. With bold but science-based action, we can build a future that is both sustainable and resilient. For the international community, the time to act is now.

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