In 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed that human activity is the main cause of global warming and that climate change represents an immediate threat and potentially irreversible effects. Climate change is perceived today as the greatest challenge of our time, the adverse effects it causes are jeopardizing the current functioning of the planet, and its impact threatens the survival of many societies and biological systems.
At the same time, in 2010, the balance of the world population definitively opted for the urbanized world. The phenomenon of accelerated urbanization, together with climate change, is testing the vulnerability of urban societies with economic, environmental, social, geopolitical and technological risks. In addition, cities are the main contributors of CO2 emissions - 70% - and account for 66% of the total energy used and, therefore, have a clear responsibility in the evolution of climate change.
Cities have to face...
In 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed that human activity is the main cause of global warming and that climate change represents an immediate threat and potentially irreversible effects. Climate change is perceived today as the greatest challenge of our time, the adverse effects it causes are jeopardizing the current functioning of the planet, and its impact threatens the survival of many societies and biological systems.
At the same time, in 2010, the balance of the world population definitively opted for the urbanized world. The phenomenon of accelerated urbanization, together with climate change, is testing the vulnerability of urban societies with economic, environmental, social, geopolitical and technological risks. In addition, cities are the main contributors of CO2 emissions - 70% - and account for 66% of the total energy used and, therefore, have a clear responsibility in the evolution of climate change.
Cities have to face significant challenges today: from gradual changes - rising temperature, loss of biodiversity and rising sea levels - to sudden and extreme events - storms and floods - especially in regions and vulnerable areas such as cities located in coastal areas. Changes in land use and use - such as urban expansion and land sealing - increase the effects of floods, "heat island effects" and heat waves.
Climate change also generates a loss of economic opportunities, due to its impact on the performance of natural systems, essential in many societies, such as, among others, agriculture, forestry, fishing, tourism, the potable water supply, etc.
The European Union estimates that human exposure to atmospheric pollution causes about 350,000 premature deaths each year, 90% of the inhabitants of European cities are exposed to concentrations that exceed the level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) , which brings with it serious health problems - respiratory disorders, asthma and pulmonary affections, etc.
But, paradoxically, urban areas are not in themselves the focus of the problem. CO2 emissions can significantly decrease - per capita - as urban areas are densified, especially if they have an urban model based on well-designed buildings and well-planned public spaces, and therefore the city can become an attractive environment , safe, quiet, clean, energetically efficient and with a lasting environment.
In Catalonia greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 9.2% between 1990 and 2013. Since 1950, every decade the air temperature has increased by 0.23 degrees and decreased by 1.2% rainfall. All climatic scenarios point to an increase in extreme temperatures, heat waves, tropical nights and an increase in the duration of dry streaks. At the same time, there is evidence of an increase in torrentiality and the frequency of days with very intense rains.
Addressing, then, the challenges of climate change requires an omnipresent approach and calls for a global reflection, to analyze its scope and draw new paths of understanding in the local space in which the widest possible cooperation of all will be indispensable the actors and an effective and appropriate global response. Only a fast and ambitious reaction will produce long-term results and reduce the costs of mitigation and adaptation measures, which will require greater cooperation at an international level, but also at the national, regional and local levels
From this perspective, the Fundació Catalunya Europa aims to open a debate with the most relevant international experts, share knowledge and experiences with the academic environment that is working in the field of climate change trying to identify proposals and solutions and with the other cities, finally, to agree on lines of action and proposals with the political, economic and social area.
So far, there have been 6 conferences with the participation of internationally renowned experts: Peter Newman, Kevin Winter, Koen de Ridder, Alistair Woodward, John Roemer, Rob Hopkins and Ana Huertas. Each conference has been accompanied by a subsequent seminar with academics and a meeting with business leaders to explore the limits of consensus.
