Infrastructure protectionIntelligent urban planning to drive climate change solutions

A leaked report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that intelligent urban planning and investment in public transportation, especially in developing countries, could be the key factors in lower greenhouse gas emissions and reversing the effects of climate change.

The draft, obtained and reported by theGuardian, says that “The next two decades present a window of opportunity for urban mitigation as most of the world’s urban areas and their infrastructure have yet to be constructed.”

The report was scheduled for release in Berlin on Sunday, as part of the final installment of the IPCC’s review of the climate change situation. It offers details showing that most of the at-risk areas are in Asia, but also the American east coast is seen as a “hotspot.” It is these very pressure points, the report contends, which are responsible for much of the pollution output, and therefore should also be seen as the biggest solutions.

Seth Schultz, a research director for the C40 Cities climate change group, told theGuardian regarding the most responsible for greenhouse gasses, “They are at the frontlines of this issue, and on the whole, cities have extraordinarily strong power to deliver on these things.”

Areas of particular concern within the United States include sea level harm to the Florida Everglades and draught conditions in urban centers such as Salt Lake City.

Christina DeConcini, director of government affairs for the World Resources Institute, told the newspaper, “I think there is a growing focus on climate change. A lot of cities have sustainability departments and people focusing on it, and more and more of the work they are doing is focused on climate and climate impacts. Cities that are more at risk are definitely paying more attention.”