While cities make efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and increase urban energy-efficiency, they are at the same time vulnerable. Climate change is already leading to an increased frequency of extreme weather events bringing floods, landslides and droughts while melting glaciers threaten the drinking water supply of large cities and sea-level rise imperils many coastal communities. Many of these climate change impacts will be – and in some cases already have been – felt directly at the local level. Local governments have a responsibility to protect their people, property, and resources. With the economies, livelihoods, safety and character of their communities at stake, cities are harnessing their visionary leadership and policy tools to increase resilience as they prepare for the future.
Once again in 2012, the Resilient Cities congress will feature cutting-edge topics and sessions.Congress sections are composed of the different elements detailed below. Several sessions will be held in parallel, giving participants the opportunity to make an ´a la carte´ selection of the ones that they wish to attend. Debates at Resilient Cities 2012 will be articulated around the following main themes:
Urban Risk: Local government leaders, representatives of the insurance community, construction companies and civil engineers will address the issue of urban risk as a key element in building resilient cities.
Resilient Urban Logistics: A dialogue will be created around the link between urbanization and urban logistics and its importance for the resilience of cities and climate change adaptation.
Financing the Resilient City: Initiated during Resilient Cities 2011, the debate will offer answers on how climate financing for adaptation can be mobilized, leveraged and innovated for the local level. Resilient Cities 2012 will also host a session on global sustainable infrastructure finance in partnership with Global Energy Basel
These special focuses will organized in different types of sessions ranging from presentations to strategy dialogues gathering renowned international experts and leaders of international organizations.
