Climate change and urbanization are the two most essential drifts to shape global development in the ages ahead. Urban cities tend to serve as driving economic growth, engines of change in some of the world’s developing countries and pulling more people out of extreme poverty. But, on the other hand, climate change could impair this by exacerbating resource scarcity and putting vulnerable communities at risk from rising sea levels and more frequent and intense storms.
Most of the significant environmental problems of the next century will probably result from the continuation and sharpening of existing issues that currently do not receive enough political attention.
Some impacts of urbanization on climate change are: -
- The creation of heat island- The materials like bricks, concrete, asphalt and more, absorb and reflect energy differently than vegetation and soil. So, the urban areas remain warm at night when the countryside has already cooled.
- Changes in Air Quality- Day-to-day, human activities release a wide range of emissions into the environment, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, lead, and many other pollutants.
- Changes in Precipitation Patterns- Cities often receive more rain than the surrounding countryside since dust can provoke water vapour into rain droplets.
Some impacts of climate change on urbanization are: -
- Damage to urban areas- Floods is the most common and lethal natural disaster in the entire country, mainly because coastal areas will likely be exacerbated and intensified by sea-level rise and extreme weather.
- More allergies and other health risks- Warmer temperatures worsen air quality, resulting in massive allergy and asthma attacks. After heavy floods or cyclones or storms, damp and abandoned buildings may foster a breeding ground for mosquitoes which can cause dengue, malaria. In addition, rising temperatures cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion, hyperthermia (high body temperature) and heatstroke.
- Travel disruptions- Flights can be disturbed due to flooding; we all know many airports are located on low-lying land. In addition, stronger winds create shear in the atmosphere, which results in turbulence. And distant storms can make waves in the atmosphere that cause turbulence hundreds of miles away.
- Higher electric bills and more blackouts- As people rely more heavily upon air conditioners and fans, electricity bills will increase. The increased demand for electricity, especially during non-summer seasons, can also cause a rise in the tax of the electrical grid, triggering blackouts.
Urbanization should be developed as a daily supplement activity that would dissuade and curb the growth of slums and help in solid waste management and the development of energy-intensive buildings and transport systems. Failure of governance in today’s cities has resulted in the growth of informal settlements and slums that constitute unhealthy living and working environments. Therefore, serious attention should be given to improving urban strategies, which promote efficiency in resource use.
The aim should be to build sustainable and environment-friendly cities. Whenever we modernize the infrastructure, we should keep in mind the two essential concepts- population growth and climate change. If we want to live happily on Earth, it’s vital to keep our Earth happy.
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