Hidden Vulnerabilities of Asian Cities and Climate Change: Shattering the Myths

The recent extreme shocks, originating from both climatic and non-climatic factors, have unearthed several hidden vulnerabilities that cities are characterized by emphasizing that these vulnerabilities need to be addressed for comprehensive risk reduction. This presentation shows the evidence from food security and livelihood related impacts of global food price increase during 2008. The Mumbai and Bangkok floods in 2004 and 2011 respectively have brought out several social and infrastructure vulnerabilities that cities face today. The presentation identifies few niche areas where cities can contribute in addressing climate change issues and concludes with some key questions need to be addressed by the research and development community.