The report, Low Carbon Cities: Exploring new crediting approaches to deliver Carbon and Climate Finance, discussed that by 2050, two-thirds of the planet’s population will live in urban centers, and nearly 90 percent of the 2.5 billion new urban dwellers will live in Africa and Asia. The world’s urban areas were responsible for around 70 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2013, and that number could grow by 50 percent by 2050 if current trends continue.
Cities play various roles in supporting urban mitigation, from policy maker to regulator, service provider, and partner. Scaling up urban mitigation will require action within and across sectors to replicate and broaden the scope of impacts. Studies have highlighted the potential for emission reductions in cities in the energy production, buildings, transportation, land use, and waste management sectors.