KARACHI: UN observes 31st of October every year as World Cities Day to promote the int’l community’s interest in global urbanization.
The day was established on 17th of Dec. 2013, by the United Nations General Assembly and was first marked in 2014 to make citoyens appreciate their cities and figure out ways to ameliorate them.
This day is very much relevant to what the Glasgow COP26 participants stated about Karachi. According to savants the Metropolis will be encroached upon by the Arabian Sea if the impacts of Climate Change have not been bridled.
World Cities Day is meant to educate the citoyens of the effects of climate-related disasters such as floods, droughts, sea-level rise, heatwaves, landslides and storms. World Cities Day also entourages formation of climate-resilient communities.
It has been calculated that more than one hundred Port Cities (like Karachi) – harboring more than a million citoyens – would disappear due to coastal flooding. Thus karachiites must ponder over the ways to contribute towards the goal of containing climate change.
Secretary General stated: “Cities are hubs of innovation and human ingenuity — and potential centers for transformative action to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and build a zero-carbon, climate-resilient and socially just world. Globally, over 1 billion people live in informal settlements, with 70 per cent highly vulnerable to climate change.
“Sea level rise could put more than 800 million people in coastal cities at direct risk by 2050. Yet just 9% of climate finance to cities goes to adaptation and resilience, and cities in developing countries receive far less than those in developed countries. This must change — half of all climate finance should be dedicated to adaptation.
“We need a people-centered and inclusive approach to planning, building and managing cities. Resilient infrastructure, early warning systems and financial instruments to mitigate risks are crucial tools as cities seek to adapt and protect the lives and livelihoods of their residents.
Cities can lead the way in recovering better from the pandemic, reducing emissions at the scale and speed the world needs, and securing a resilient future for billions. On World Cities Day, let us renew our resolve to confront urban challenges, mitigate risks, and forge lasting solutions. Together, we can transform our cities, and thereby transform our world.”
United Nations maintains that creating more sustainable, climate-resilient societies involves addressing a range of issues including poverty reduction, ensuring basic services livelihoods, the provision of accessible, affordable and adequate housing, investing in infrastructure, upgrading informal settlements and managing ecosystems. It has been observed that well-governed cities manage to reduce climate-related risks for their citoyens.
Newspakistan.tv | YouTube Channel
