THE URBAN LANDSCAPE AND THE FUTURE OF CITIES Research Professor in Practice HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN Department of Landscape Architecture MITIGATION & ADAPTATION CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT COP 26 Under the topic of The Current State of the Climate, the IPCC 2021 Summary says: “The scale of recent changes are unprecedented” CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT • ADAPTATION M ore visibility for C limate A daptation CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT WHAT IS ADAPTATION? CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT WHY IS ADAPTATION UNDERFUNDED? CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT 4 REASONS WHY ADAPTATION IS NOT FUNDED CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT 1 . HYPER - FOCUS ON CARBON EMISSIONS Mitigation Means Money CARBON CREDITS MAKE $$$$$ CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT CAP & TRADE CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT 2. HUBRIS OF TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY and SMART CITIES/ SMART CARS SMART BUILDINGS/ SMART HOMES ETC. ALONE, WON’T SAVE US CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT THE HUBRIS OF TECHNOLOGY: WE DON’T NEED ADAPTATION CLIMATE IMPACTS IN THE USA AND CANADA CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT 4. THE IPCC FORGOT TO WARN US ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT OTHER CLIMATE PROBLEMS WE ARE FACING - BUT DON’T KNOW ABOUT... CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT DECREASE IN THE EARTH’S ALBEDO LOSS OF CLOUD ALBEDO Earth loses some its ability to shed heat TIPPING POINTS ARE ALREADY STARTING CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT ... acceleration could lead to total warming of 2 degrees Celsius by 2040 CLEANING UP THE ATMOSPHERE IS CAUSING MORE GLOBAL WARMING