ABSTRACT
If concerted action is not undertaken to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and promote more environmentally sustainable and equitable patterns of urban development, there will be a deadly collision between urbanization and climate change. The dangerous course to this collision threatens to have unprecedented negative impacts upon human development, quality of life, economic production, political stability and the health and resilience of the ecosystems upon which human beings depend. However, the coming together of urbanization and climate change will also offer an unprecedented opportunity. Urban areas, with their high concentrations of population, buildings, industries and infrastructure, will face the most severe impacts of climate change. Yet, the same urban areas can become hubs of innovation where alternative options can be designed and tested to promote reductions in GHG emissions (mitigation) and vulnerability to climate change impacts (adaptation).
