Future Ready

5In the Big Apple

Cities are GHG emissions hot beds. Urban areas account for a little over half the global population, but 75% of global GHG emissions.¹ Cities also face a disproportionate amount of climate risk and vulnerability. Their large, densely clustered populations make the potential human and economic toll of local climate disasters much higher. Extreme temperatures, drought, hurricanes, or storm surges that hit a city will, on average, displace, injure, or kill far more people while creating larger economic losses than a similar event in a less-populated area. But while cities play an outsized role in driving the climate crisis and have greater vulnerability to its impacts, many cities are also leaders in climate action—often going further than national governments in their climate commitments and programs.

Every part of the Earth faces climate risk. But, in many ways, the successes of our global and organizational sustainability journeys will be largely contingent on the actions of the people, companies, and governments packed into less than 3% of the Earth's surface.² What's more, the impact of cities will continue to increase. By 2050, cities are expected to be homes for nearly 7 in 10 people on Earth, further increasing their environmental toll, climate vulnerability, and environmental responsibility.³ As a result, the paths taken by cities like London, Shanghai, Chicago, Lagos, and L.A. to build more resilient, sustainable, Future Ready communities are critically ...