ABSTRACT

This chapter contributes to nascent efforts to integrate human security perspectives into the hitherto largely neglected urban (as opposed to global, national and rural) dimensions of global environmental change. Key urban challenges for human security in the context of environmental change relate to overall ecological footprints, maintaining institutional and infrastructural integrity, and safeguarding shelter, utilities, economic activities and livelihoods. These take on somewhat different complexions in coastal and inland urban areas. While in wealthier parts of the world, urbanization levels have generally been stable or declining, they are much more diverse and variable in poorer countries and regions due to differing and complex interacting forces and processes. These increasingly include rural impoverishment and hunger through the adverse effects of environmental change on rural livelihoods. Moreover, megacities, which face complex human security challenges in hosting often predominantly poor populations, are increasing rapidly in number and overall concentration in developing contexts (Bohle and Warner, 2008). Providing for large in-migrant populations in expanding cities with inadequate resourcing whilst simultaneously seeking to mitigate and adapt to the effects of environmental change poses severe challenges that are likely to threaten political stability and human security in many contexts.