Cities worldwide are rapidly urbanizing, shedding light on the interrelated challenges of environmental, social and economic inequalities. Most of the plastic in our oceans come from rapidly urbanizing cities, particularly those along rivers and coastal areas in cities the Global South. Still, the generation and treatment of waste in urban areas is a challenge for cities and a huge opportunity. While the health, economic and environmental concerns of mismanaged waste are a high priority for constituents, local governments are natural partners for developing holistic solutions for waste management due to their general mandate and local understanding.
The World Cities Summit 2022 is an in-person event from 31 July to 3 August at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore. Themed ''Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Emerging Stronger", it focuses on how cities can emerge stronger and more resilient through prolonged and unpredictable disruptions.
Cities are heating up at twice the rate of global average warming due to the urban heat island effect and rapid urbanization. With more cities facing record high temperatures and heatwaves increasing in number, it is important that we set an agenda to take collective action now making sure to keep the most vulnerable populations central to any solution. The eight Cities on the Frontline session of 2022, “Urban Heat: Cities Taking Action”, focused on the increasingly important role of heat in cities and how cities are affected by its multiple effects giving our audience an understanding how this phenomenon presents itself in different geographies around the world as well as the actions that can be taken to mitigate its effects.