Global headlines recently turned on India, as record-breaking temperatures beat down upon it. Headlines typically focused on Delhi, where temperatures reached a record 49.2 degrees Celsius (120.5F) this May and remained unprecedented until July. India’s financial capital, Mumbai, ground to a halt as it faced severe flooding last month.
Across large swaths of the global south, temperatures are soaring and flood risk is increasing because of how urbanization is happening, and how fast. Yet, at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s conference of the parties, or COP, meetings, this subject receives little attention. If this does not change, the global quest for decarbonization may fall flat.
The global south is where the bulk of urbanization will happen over the next 30 years. India will add over 200 million people — the equivalent of 20 new megacities — to its urban population between 2011 and 2036, up from 377 million to 594 million. By 2050, Africa’s urban population will almost triple, accounting for 21% of the global total. In tandem, new infrastructure and property will have to be built. How carbon resilient this new urban expanse will be, and how carbon intensive, will depend on how it is planned and designed.
About the author
Sam Downes
Sam Downes is a junior fellow at Artha Global, a policy research and consulting organization based in Mumbai and London. Downes spent most of his career in the British government in roles spanning long-term planning, implementation, and government reform in a variety of policy areas, including in infrastructure and urban policy. At present, he works on urbanization, cities, and climate change at Artha’s Centre for Emerging Cities. He has a master’s in Public Policy from Lee Kuan School of Public Policy in Singapore.
