Planning for Cities and Climate Change (Essay Sample)

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How Cities Are Planning in Relation to Climate Change
Introduction
Cities are one of the major contributors to climate change. This is with the explication that cities are among the leading sources of greenhouse gases. In this context, cities account for approximately 80 percent of all the global greenhouse gases generated. In addition to this, cities are also among the most affected by the effects of climate change. The effects of climate change on cities vary from city to city depending on the location and risk factors of the city. For instance, a city located at the coast if prone to tsunamis and floods among other risks. Consequently, cities have to be planned in manner that can avert them from the effects of climate change. Moreover, cities have to also have plans that deal with the cause of climate change. Underpinning on this, this essay is going to explicate what cities should do to avert the effects and causes of climate change. The essay will cover this topic through relying on the available literature. The essay will also explicate some of the measures used in planning to deal with climate change in some of the cities in the world.
Planning for Climate Change
Even though climate change is considered to be a global crisis and hence has effects on the security of nations across the globe, the impact of climate change on infrastructure, public health and natural resources have to be dealt with at the community level. This should be done through establishing the contributing and risk factors to climate change and employing strategies to deal with them accordingly. For instance, some of the cities are allied with the risk of extreme weather conditions, floods and tides. The potential impacts of climate change have to also be established by the city in relation to assets and facilities, infrastructure and essential services. The potential impacts of climate change with respect to the community in terms of the environmental, economic, cultural and social perspective have to also be established (Carmin, Roberts, & Anguelovski 2009). The city has to then establish strategies for adaptation to climate change and actions that reduce and manage the risks associated with climate change. The city has to subsequently generate mechanisms to escalate the adaptive capacity of the city and the community. In summary, analysis has to be done with regard to how the climate change will take place. Subsequently, the potential risks and hazards and the impacts. This should be followed by assessing the risks and the opportunities. The information gathered should then be utilized in the preparation of an adaptation plan. The plan should encompass the strategies and actions for adaptation. The plan should then be adopted, monitored and reviewed (Carmin, Nadkarni, & Rhie 2012).
Transport is one of the leading factors that contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases. This is with the explication that the transport industry uses gasoline which emits carbon, particles and other pollutants in the environment. Through spills, the oils are absorbed in the soil leading to negative effects on biodiversity. Therefore, a city has to make certain that through its planning, it ensures the replacement of the use of fossil fuels with sustainable energy. This should be done with the aim of thwarting climate change and at the same time enhancing energy efficiency (Saavedra, Budd, & Lovrich 2012). Additionally, the city has to promote efficient vehicle technology to ensure the development and usage of vehicles that minimize pollution. Salt Lake City has employed measures in its planning to deal with the issue of causes of climate change. Through this, the city has energy efficient programs that promote the usage of renewable energy and energy conservation by the residents and businesses. The city is also working to ensure a reduction in the use of energy in the city buildings and also facilitating the development of renewable energy for buildings and high performance buildings. The use of renewable energy is also being promoted and facilitate by the city for home owners (Salt Lake City 2013).
Greenhouse gases have been on the rise as a result of the overwhelming dependence on combustion of fossil fuels. This has impacts on the security, ecology, health, economy and the social life of the local and regional community. The community carbon print has to be ascertained by the city so as to come up with well informed and coordinated efforts that are geared toward ensuring a secure, economically resilient and healthy community in the future (Carmin et al. 2012). On the other hand, the city has to also have plans in place to prevent carbon emissions. This has to be done through establishing all sources of carbon like air travel and coming up with methods of dealing with the same. For instance, the city has to avert deforestation. In the same lines, the city has to promote biodiversity and green infrastructure through afforestation through allocating some land for tree planting. Moreover, the city has to maintain green corridors and manage pests (Saavedra et al. 2012).
The city of Moncton presents a plan which is in line with climate change. This city has a plan based on analysis of the risk factor and the impacts of floods on the city and the residents. On order to deal with climate change risks like flood, tides and droughts among other, cities must have emergency plans response. The response plans have to be specific to the risks. In order to ensure support for the plan, investigations pertaining to the susceptibility of the essential services, transport system and major infrastructure. While the planning, the stakeholders have to be consulted with (Roberts 2010). The plan has to also be communicated to the community at large. As a way of dealing with climate change, the city has to engage the community through partnerships, consultation and education. This should be done through establishing agencies, partnering with the essential service providers, working with the city council. With this, the people will be empowered to reduce and address the risks allied with climate change like flooding (Dube 2013).
The city has to also come up with policies and regulations have to be in lie with climate change trends. For example, in the city of Moncton plan to deal with floods, there are proposed policies that should facilitate curbing floods. Some of the policies include curbing storm water and the volumes of runoff, new minimum elevations requirement of the floor for structured paring and habitable space allied with new buildings, an escalation in development of setbacks arising from water courses to 30 meters and additional landscaping provisions that aid in the containment of runoffs and storm water. Accordingly, the policies and regulations have to offer guidance to the business entities and city dwellers on what to do so as to avert the consequences and risk of climate change (Dube 2013).