U.S. cities lag in climate change prep
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jun 5, 2012 -- UPI
Cities most active in preparing for climate change are not
always the biggest or wealthiest, with Latin America ahead of
U.S. cities, a survey found.
They are often places buffeted by natural disasters and
increasing changes in temperature or rainfall, where the climate
seems to be a growing threat to human lives, resources and urban
infrastructure, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
reported Tuesday.
In such cities local officials have been working with
scientists, conducting assessments and examining which new
measures may best prepare them for the future, the MIT survey
found.
Ninety-five percent of major cities in Latin America are
planning for climate change compared with only 59 percent of
such cities in the United States, MIT researchers said.
Climate adaptation leadership "can come from cities of many
different sizes and ilks," said JoAnn Carmin, a professor of
urban studies and planning.
"Cities are able to make some important strides in this area.
"There are numerous examples from around the world where
there are no national policies or explicit support for
adaptation, but where local governments are developing plans and
taking action to address climate impacts."
U.S. cities are slow to address the subject, Carmin said,
because climate change is a more politically contentious issue
in this country than elsewhere.
"Climate change discussion is off the table, quite frankly,
more in the United States anywhere else," she said. "We are
caught up over the cause of climate change, and this has led all
climate-related issues to become highly politicized, undermining
our potential to focus on promoting long-term urban resilience.
"This is not the case in many other countries where they take
climate change as a given and are able to move forward with
adaptation alongside their efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas
emissions."
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