March 18th, 2025
Via BBC, a look at the growing water-related risks facing cities:
The world’s 100 most populated cities are becoming increasingly exposed to flooding and drought, according to new research.
Charity WaterAid worked with the University of Bristol and Cardiff University on a study using data on climate hazards.
The research found that 17% of the cities studied were at risk from “climate whiplash” where drought and flooding has become more intense.
Prof Katerina Michaelides, lead scientist from the University of Bristol, said: “The findings from our study illustrate just how differently and dramatically climate change is expressing around the globe – there is no one-size-fits-all.”
The study compared each city’s social and water infrastructure vulnerabilities – such as poverty and waste systems – alongside more than 40 years worth of data on climate hazards.
Researchers then aimed to identify which cities could be the most vulnerable to extreme climate changes and the least equipped to handle them.
The study also showed that 20% of the 100 cities had seen a change, at one time experiencing one extreme, now facing another.
In the last four decades, their research showed that cities including London, Madrid and Paris had become increasingly dry, while in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, and Lahore in Pakistan, they are now having more severe floods.
Prof Michaelides said the data could help city leaders make decisions.
“A deeper understanding of localised climate hazards can support more intelligent and bespoke planning in major cities,” she added.
Cities in Africa and Asia are most at risk of climate shifts which can impact clean water supplies, according to the study.
WaterAid said the report had come at a time when major nations had been reducing or rediverting international aid funds.
Tim Wainwright, WaterAid UK’s chief executive said: “We’re seeing a sweep of global aid cuts, which could leave basic human rights hanging in the balance.
“Floods and droughts are stripping away people’s foundation of survival – water.
“Communities can recover from disaster, stay healthy and be ready for whatever the future holds. It all starts with clean water.”
'Black Swans' are highly improbable events that come as a surprise, have major disruptive effects, and that are often rationalized after the fact as if they had been predictable to begin with. In our rapidly warming world, such events are occurring ever more frequently and include wildfires, floods, extreme heat, and drought.
'Green Shoots' is a term used to describe signs of economic recovery or positive data during a downturn. It references a period of growth and recovery, when plants start to show signs of health and life, and, therefore, has been employed as a metaphor for a recovering economy.
It is my hope that Black Swans / Green Shoots will help readers understand both climate-activated risk and opportunity so that you may invest in, advise, or lead organizations in the context of increasing pressures of global urbanization, resource scarcity, and perils relating to climate change. I believe that the tools of business and finance can help individuals, businesses, and global society make informed choices about who and what to protect, and I hope that this blog provides some insight into the policy and private sector tools used to assess investments in resilient reinforcement, response, or recovery.