October started with the gathering of enough signatures for the Paris climate agreement to take effect in November, and the month is winding down with another positive sign for those advocating for more resilient cities, with the adoption of the New Urban Agenda at the UN’s Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador.
The first is a treaty among countries, negotiated in Paris last fall, that signals an intent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The latter is a nonbinding UN document intended to guide sustainable urban development in decades to come. Questions remain about inclusivity and implementation when it comes to the New Urban Agenda, but the agreement does acknowledge the risks of climate change and address mitigation and adaptation.
Many working on the challenges that cities face also see a connection between both agreements and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a global agenda that sets targets on everything from poverty and hunger to sustainable cities and climate action.
Watch Next City’s Quito Dispatch below to hear experts and officials at Habitat III this week talk about preparing cities for the effects of climate change, and how urban planning and policy can answer the threats of rising temperatures and sea levels.