This piece asks the question: are the world's fasting growing cities thinking about young children in their climate plans? Openfields partnered to examine eight city climate plans and three country plans to see if and how the plans center children.
The ten cities that are projected to have the largest population in 2100 are located in the Majority World. Climate change particularly threatens these cities, while high fertility rates mean the number of children continues to grow into a large share of the population.
Capita convened in Stellenbosch, South Africa to discuss: how are the world's fastest-growing cities meeting the needs of their youngest residents in adapting to climate change?
The discussion explored how these cities, with rapid urbanization, can develop climate change policies that strongly consider children's needs.
To support the event, Openfields examined climate action plans across eight cities (Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Delhi, Khartoum, Kinshasa, Kolkata, Lagos, and Mumbai) and three countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Niger) to see if and how they center children in their planning for climate change.
This research found three emergent themes:
1. Eight plans acknowledge children as a vulnerable population;
2. Nine plans mention clean cooking or heat wave relief as ways to reduce effects of pollution and climate change on vulnerable populations;
3. All eleven plans call for infrastructure projects to increase access to clean water and public sanitation, both of which have clear benefits for children.
This research and discussion aim to inform the development of resources for decision-makers worldwide as they create their climate adaptation and resilience strategies.
This piece is a repost from Capita.