Harnessing deep mitigation opportunities of urbanisation patterns in LDCs

Abstract

Cities offer enormous opportunities for climate action that would limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C by 2100 above pre-industrial levels. For example, cities can act through planning and service delivery, bringing together residential, work and leisure in single spaces, and creating better connectivity between areas within and between cities. In Least Developed Countries (LDCs) cities offer multiple opportunities for low carbon innovations given that so much of the cities in LDCs are yet to be built and serviced. The development of high carbon strategies, on the other hand, poses the danger of long-term carbon lock-in and narrows the existing window of opportunity to act. This paper explores the low carbon opportunities and avoided future emissions that cities in LDCs can implement as part of their mitigation pathways. The paper makes the case that deep mitigation efforts in the context of LDCs will need to take place within the broader agenda of sustainable development, poverty reduction, and equity. Examples of transport, energy and low carbon urbanism are discussed as evidence that climate-resilient development, consistent with the 1.5°C pathway, is already underway in some LDCs.

Natural resource effect on child health outcomes in a multifactor health production model in developing countries

“…The health effects of living in urban and rural areas continue to be debated among public health researchers (Mulugetta and Castan, 2018). One argument is against urban advantage due to poor sanitation and the rapid spread of infectious diseases in cities.…”

Advancing climate resilient development pathways since the IPCC’s fifth assessment report

“…Second, mainstreaming climate action into development paths at every level is discussed as essential (Burch et al, 2014;Dovie et al, 2020;Mulugetta and Castán Broto, 2018;Ferreira Costa, 2020;Tanner et al, 2019). To what extent this occurs depends on appropriate governance, regulations, knowledge and education, and resourcing (Schipper et al, 2020;Stringer et al, 2020).…”

“…Third, a substantial number of authors elaborate on actor involvement and social learning processes. It is argued that reflexive governance approaches based on social learning creates opportunity for desired end goals (Burch et al, 2014;Moss et al, 2019;Mulugetta and Castán Broto, 2018;Scholz and Methner, 2020;Stringer et al, 2020;Tanner et al, 2019). Multiple authors place reliance on informal processes, advocated for by central stakeholders for stimulating this.…”

“…In sum, analysis of literature in the domain of climate resilient development pathways points towards four non-exclusive approaches, which we label building on Werners et al (2021): (a) climate action oriented (e.g. Mulugetta and Castán Broto, 2018;Stringer et al, 2020), (b) mainstreaming oriented (e.g. Dovie et al, 2020;Ferreira Costa, 2020;Tanner et al, 2019), (c) social-learning and participation oriented (e.g.…”

Sustainable energy systems in Africa

“…Sometimes it is directed at the financial cost of certain decarbonisation actions in energy development and who should pay or of innovations that lead to desirable outcomes. Other times, it is about what happens to economies under conditions of deep decarbonisation (e.g., oil producers) or how lifestyles would need to change to ensure consumption levels are under control to avoid punching through the 2°C or the 1.5°C ceiling (Mulugetta & Castan-Broto, 2018). In this regard, policymakers across Africa now recognise that while Africa's historic responsibility for current climate change is minimal (2-3 percent GHG and 18 percent population), this position takes a static perspective about Africa and assumes that the continent will remain too poor to take up a higher share of the global GHG footprint.…”