More than half of the world’s population currently lives in urban areas, a number expected to reach 70 percent by 2050. With 60 percent of the area expected to be urban by 2030 remaining to be built, climate considerations should play a major role in urban planning decisions taken now, and infrastructure projects commissioned for the upcoming decades. The success or failure of cities at addressing climate change will be pivotal to efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
As cities work to meet the needs of their residents, they can leapfrog historical approaches to urbanization – which creates significant opportunities for climate investment. The report finds that cities in emerging markets around the globe have the potential to attract more than $29.4 trillion in cumulative climate-related investments in six key sectors by 2030.
The report provides investment potential estimates across six key sectors (waste, renewable energy, public transportation, water, electric vehicles, and green buildings).
Sector-specific investment potentials are estimated at the global and regional levels. The report also addresses urban resilience, financing solutions, and includes six deep dives into specific cities – one from each region – representing various sizes and stages of development:
