Asia-Pacific in the

Era of Climate Change

Building Urban Resilience and Green Cities

CDIA Concept Note
December 2011

CDIA
Cities Development Initiative for Asia
TABLEOFCONTENTS

I. BACKGROUND......................................................................................................................................1
II. KEYTOPICSEMERGINGINASIAPACIFIC................................................................................................2
III. CDIASCLIMATECHANGEFOCUS..........................................................................................................3
IV. INTERNATIONALPARTNERS.................................................................................................................4
V. WAYFORWARD:TOWARDSANINTEGRATEDAPPROACHFORCLIMATECHANGE..................................7

I. BACKGROUND

TwooverarchingphenomenaprogressivelyinformAsiasdevelopmenttrajectoryinthe21stcentury,
namely rapid urbanization and climate change. Climate change has become a global reality and is
nowbeingregardedasoneoftheworldstopchallengeswhileitsimpactisbeingfeltinallcountries
around the globe, though with different impacts and on different scales. The AsiaPacific region
stands to be one of the most affected by climate change. While the regions urban population is
growing faster than ever before, climate change will have a significant impact on the future
developmentofAsiascities.1
Asiasurbangrowthtakesplaceatanunprecedentedpace.Everyyear,around41millionpeopleare
being added to the population of Asian cities and towns, continuously diminishing the number of
peoplelivinginruralareas.AccordingtotheUnitedNations,Asiacurrentlyaccountsfor60%ofthe
worlds population, 46% of it being urban citizens. By 2020, 2.2 billion people or 52% of Asias
populationwillliveinurbanareas.TheincreaseinAsiasurbanpopulationinthecurrentdecadewill
amountto60%oftheworldsurbanpopulationgrowth.2
Theregionsrapidurbangrowthiscloselylinkedtotheincreaseingreenhousegas(GHG)emissions
thatisconsideredasbeingthemajordriverforglobalwarmingandclimatechange.Occupyingonly
2% of the earths surface, cities consume 75% of the planets resources and currently generate
around 70% of GHG in sectors such as industry, transport, housing and waste. Over the next two
decades,Asiancitiesarelikelytoaccountformorethan50%oftheriseinGHGemissions,increasing
to76%oftheworldsGHGemissionsby2030.3
Cities not only produce a large share of global GHG emissions, but also severely experience the
adverse effects of climate change. Negative consequences include, among others, landslides,
increasing temperatures and rising sea levels. The latter particularly threaten more than 50% of
urbanresidentsinAsialivinginlowlyingcostalzonesorfloodplainsespeciallyincountrieslikeIndia,
Bangladesh,Cambodia,Vietnam,China,Indonesia,thePhilippinesandtheislandsofthePacific.4This
includes many of Asias largest cities, like Bangkok in Thailand, Chennai in India, Dhaka in
Bangladesh,JakartainIndonesia,ManilainthePhilippinesandnumerousmediumsizedcitiesthat
are located on or near the shore across AsiaPacific.5 Extreme weather events such as storms and
associatedfloodinghighlyaffectthepoorpopulationlivingininformalorpoorqualitysettlements.

1
UNPopulationDivision(2010):WorldUrbanizationProspectsThe2009Revision.
2
UNHABITAT(2010):TheStateofAsianCities2010/11.
3
GiantFootprintsandIEA(2008):WorldEnergyOutlook.
4
UNHABITAT(2010):TheStateofAsianCities2010/11.
5
AsianDevelopmentBank(2011):GreenCitiesLivableandSustainableCitiesinAsia.
1
Theenvironmentaldegradationanddestructionofnaturalhabitatssuchasswamplandsandforests,
bothbeingassociatedwithurbanexpansioninAsia,alsohaveastrongimpactonclimate.
It becomes evident that rapid urbanization has brought along severe environmental problems,
puttingpressureonavailableresourcesandinfrastructure.Climatechangerelatednaturaldisasters
doubtlessthreatenurbanhabitatsandaggravateurbanpoverty.But,atthesametime,citiesarethe
mainlocationforeconomicproduction,tradeandproductivitygrowthandhavetakenaleadingrole
in the promotion of innovative approaches to sustainable urban development, improving living
standards and continuously reducing poverty. A key challenge, therefore, is to maintain these
achievements, while also tackling environmental degradation resulting from industrial activity,
consumptionofresourcesandwastegeneration.
Urbanmanagementwillthereforeplayakeyroleinboth,minimizingthenegativeimpactseconomic
developmentandurbangrowthhaveontheglobalenvironmentandfindingappropriateresponse
mechanisms to tackle the risks and disasters related to climate change. Cities should also try to
unlock manifold opportunities which arise within the framework of tackling climate change and
buildingurbanresilience.Thepromotionofthegreencitiesagendawillplayanimportantroleinthis
regardintryingtobuildlivableandsustainablecitiesinAsia.

II. KEYTOPICSEMERGINGINASIAPACIFIC

(a) UrbanResilienceinthecontextofadaptation
The reality of many Asian cities being situated in geographic locations prone to extreme weather
conditions, especially those along coastal zones and river flood plains, calls for new urban
governance approaches and massive investment in adaptation measures to build urban resilience
andtoavoidinvestmentwhichwillbeatriskofenvironmentaldisasterrelatedtoclimatechangeor
even increase the risks of such disaster. The latter still seems to be a major challenge as can be
observedinmanyAsiancities,suchasHoChiMinhCity,JakartaandMetroManila.Makingcitiesas
climateresilientaspossiblerequiresmorecapitalspending,butespeciallysmartandforwardlooking
investmentsinurbaninfrastructure.
(b) Mitigation
Asillustratedabove,thegreatmajorityofglobalGHGemissionscomefromurbanareasandcities.
Therefore,citiesplayacrucialroleinleadingthefightagainstglobalwarming.Energyefficiencyand
saving measures include the promotion of low carbon transport alternatives, energy efficient
buildings and industrial processes, and new approaches to wastewater treatment and solid waste
management to reduce GHG emissions. To reduce energy demand, new ways of managing
urbanization,cityform,design,developmentdensity,andlogisticssystemsarerequired.Solidwaste
andwastewatercanbeusedasaresourceforenergy,asdemonstratedinseveralAsiancities.
(c) UrbanGovernance
Strengthening urban governance will play an important role in addressing climate change. New
governance challenges for cities are arising as a result of new risks and vulnerabilities associated
with climate change.6 Institutional aspects of cities, local governance and leadership, urban
managementpractices,intergovernmentalcooperation,spatialplanningandlandusemanagement,
monitoring and evaluation systems, intermunicipal cooperation, metropolitan and regional
6
ClimateChangeandCities:FirstAssessmentReportoftheUrbanClimateChangeResearchNetwork
(Cambridge,2011).
2
governanceamongotherswouldneedtobeaddressedandgearedtoeffectivelyfosteradaptation
andmitigationefforts.
(d) Climatefinancing
Access to finance for climate change related action remains to be a major challenge for local
governments and cities across the region. Numerous financing sources are available from global
funds and national priority programs to private sector initiatives but local governments still face
major obstacles in accessing them.7 Increased financing will be necessary to drive required
investments for both, mitigation and adaptation efforts. Potentials for cities to tap into carbon
finance, for developing and emerging Asian countries mainly through the Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM) or the Voluntary Carbon Markets, but potentially also the Green Climate Fund,
needtobefurtherexplored.NationallyAppropriateMitigationActions(NAMAs),dedicatedCarbon
Facilities of International Financial Institutions (IFIs), Global Environment Facility (GEF) etc. hold
someadditionalopportunitiestobeseriouslylookedat.
Furthermore,thereisastrongneedtogenerateadditionalresourcesoutsideofthepublicfinance
cycles which has its serious limits, especially in developing and emerging countries in AsiaPacific.
Potentials for private sector funding would need to be more seriously looked at. Available public
fundswillneedtobeusedinacatalyticwaytoleveragemajoradditionalfundingfromtheprivate
sectortobeabletocopewiththevolumeoffundingneeded.
(e) Greengrowthandgreencities
The green growth agenda has become more prominent in the context of urban development and
hasactivelybeenpromotedinvariouscountriesacrosstheregion.Sincecitieshavemadethemajor
contributiontoAsiaseconomicgrowth,ascentersofinnovationandgreenindustriestheywillalso
havetoplayakeyroleinpromotingsustainabledevelopmentandgreengrowthinthefuture.Thisis
ofparticularimportanceifcitieswanttoremainandstillbecomemorecompetitive,viable,healthy
andlivable placesin thefuture.Definingclearlinkagesbetweenclimate changeandthe emerging
greencitiesagendawillbecriticalforsustainableurbandevelopmentinAsia.

III. CDIASCLIMATECHANGEFOCUS

CDIA is a regional initiative established in 2007 by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the
Government of Germany, with additional support of the governments of Sweden and Austria and
theShanghaiMunicipalGovernment.TheInitiativeprovidesassistancetomediumsizedAsiancities
tobridgethegapbetweentheirdevelopmentplansandtheimplementationoftheirinfrastructure
investments.CDIAusesademanddrivenapproachtosupporttheidentificationanddevelopmentof
urban investment projects in the framework of existing city development plans that emphasize
environmentalsustainability,propoordevelopment,goodgovernance,andclimatechange.
CDIAhasbeenactivethroughvariouscityinterventionsandPreFeasibilityStudy(PFS)workfocusing
onkeysectorswithrelevancetoclimatechange,suchaswaterandsanitation,urbandisasterand
riskmanagement,slum upgrading(adaptation)andenergyefficiency,publictransport,solidwaste

7
Agoodoverviewoflocalandnationalfinancinginstrumentsformitigationmeasuresisbeingprovidedinthecaseof
Indonesia,GIZPAKLIMandCDIA(2011).
3
managementetc.(mitigation).8However,CDIAneedsamoreclearlydefinedapproachtosupport
citiesintacklingthechallengesofclimatechangeandinbuildingurbanresilienceontheonehand
and addressing the causes of climate change on the other hand. While still focusing on its core
mandate, an initiative like CDIA should refocus some of its attention to enable cities to better
formulate and structure needed investments and access finance for these within the emerging
internationalandnationalclimatechangearchitecture.
AnoverviewofthesectordistributionandanticipatedimpactsofCDIAscityinterventionsisshown
inthegraphicbelow.
CDIAsupportanditsrelevancetoclimatechange(persector):

Slum Upgrading Energy

1. Improved living conditions of
informal/vulnerable
communities through enhanced
basic infrastructure provision
1. Reduced energy consumption
through less use of fossil fuels
2. Reduction of CO2 emissions
through improvement in energy
efficiency

1. Environmental improvements
and improved health
conditions in low-income
areas through upgrading of
water supply facilities
1. Reduced CO2 emissions through
recycling and composting processes
to reduce volume of solid waste in
landfill
2. Environmental improvements through
proper collection, transportation,
recycling and disposal of solid waste
3. Incorporation of low income labour
(informal sector) practices related to
SWM
1. Environmental improvements
and enhanced health conditions
through expansion of waste-
water treatment facilities
1. Reduced pollution, CO2 emissions
and improved energy efficiency of
WaterSupply
UrbanTransport public transport through
environmental friendly transportation
solutions
SolidWaste 2. Improved access to services and
employment for the urban poor by
improving accessibility and
UrbanRenewal
affordability of public transport
Wastewater
Flood&
Drainage
1. Improved living conditions for low
income groups through urban
rehabilitation, water supply,
sanitation, sewerage, drainage and
1. Improved living conditions in low
solid waste collection
income areas through reduced
flooding
2. Environmental improvements
through expansion of waste-
water treatment facilities

IV. INTERNATIONALPARTNERS

Theroleofcitiesintacklingtheimpactsofclimate changeandtheimportanceofbuilding greater

urban resilience have recently gained great momentum within the international development
discourse. A number of international organizations have embarked on dedicated initiatives to
addressclimatechangerelatedissuesintheregion.Numerousclimatechangeactivitiesaddressing
urban development have been championed by various organizations international, regional,
nationalanditwillbeimportanttoshareexistinglessonslearnt,goodandfailedpractices,andto
develop modalities for joint activities in order to shape CDIAs climate change focus in 2012 and
beyond.CDIAshouldtapintotheexistingknowledgeoftheseorganizationsand,wherebeneficial,
enterintopartnershipswiththem,bothatstrategicandimplementationlevels.

8
Itisacknowledgedthatoverlapsexistbetweenclimatechangemitigationandadaptationactionsandaclearcut
distinctionisnotalwayspossibleanddesirable.AbovegroupingstrytoassistinbetterrefocusingCDIAsinterventions
withintheframeworkofclimatechange.
4
RockefellerFoundation
Rockefeller Foundation initiated the Asian Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) which is
aimed at engaging with city stakeholders on a sustained basis in order to design appropriate
strategies and interventions that build climate change resilience. Practical support has been
providedtocitieswiththeemergenceofreasoned,evidencebasedurbanclimatechangeresilience
strategies at the city level, accompanied by a pipeline of specific resilience building intervention
proposalsforimplementation.9 ThroughitsproposedUrbanClimateChangeResiliencePartnership
(UCCRP)RockefellerFoundationhasproposedastrategicpartnershipwithADBandotherpartners
suchasUKandGermanInternationalCooperationagenciesandwithinthisframeworkshowsgreat
interest to practically collaborate with CDIA. Both, a strategic level partnership and practical
implementation at city level, should be envisaged with Rockefeller Foundation and its affiliated
partnerorganizationsintherespectivecountries.
UNHABITAT/UNESCAP
As part of the Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI) UNHABITAT has developed a toolkit
PlanningforClimateChange,specificallylookingatsupportingcitiesinareasrelatedtoadaptation
and other advocacy and educational material, including a handbook for mayors. The latest Global
Report on Human Settlements 2011 focuses on Cities and Climate Change. UNHABITAT has also
entered into a partnership with the World Bank to undertake Urban Risk Assessments (URA) in a
numberofpilotcitiesincludingsomeinAsia.
AspartoftheUnitedNationsDevelopmentAccountProjectCapacityDevelopmentforCitiesinAsia
and the Pacific to Increase Resilience to Climate Change Impacts, UNESCAP is preparing a Quick
GuideforPolicyMakersonClimateChangeAdaptationandResilienceinUrbanPoorCommunitiesin
AsiaPacific.Partofthisprocesswillbethedocumentationofgoodpracticesontheissue.
SinceUNHABITAThasalreadyenteredintoapartnershipwithCDIA,specificjointactivitiescouldbe
envisaged.
ICLEI
As an international network of local governments and cities to promote sustainable development,
ICLEI has been at the forefront of the climate change and urban resilience agenda.10 ICLEI has
championedanumberofinitiatives:theannualResilientCitiesConferenceandtheestablishmentof
the global climate reporting platform which includes a cities climate registry that many cities and
localgovernmentshavejoined.11
RegionalcooperationbetweenICLEIandCDIA,bothintheareasofclimatechangeandgreencities,
iscurrentlybeingdiscussed.
GlobalGreenGrowthInstititute
TheGlobalGreenGrowthInstitute(GGGI)hasbeenestablishedinSeoultopromotegreengrowth
globally. GIZ and GGGI have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding Climate
Change and Green Growth. One of the three components of the agreement is to support the
promotion of Green City Programs. Within the framework of the partnership agreement GIZ is

9
CityResilienceStrategiesandActionPlanshavebeendevelopedinCanTho,DaNang,QuyNhon(Vietnam),Bandar
Lampung,Semarang(Indonesia),Gorakhpur,Surat,Indore(India)andtargetedinterventionsareplannedinthesecities
andChiangRaiandHatYai(Thailand)for201112.
10
ICLEIdoesreceivededicatedfinancialsupportfromtheFederalGovernmentofGermanysMinistryforEconomic
CooperationandDevelopment(BMZ)foritslocalgovernmentandclimatechangeprogram.
11
http://carbonn.org/carbonncitiesclimateregistry/
5
interestedinpromotingCDIAforsupporttoGreenCitiesProgramsinAsiaPacific.Worthmentioning
inthiscontextisthenewpolicyonclimatechangeandgreengrowthbytheG20agreedonatlast
yearssummitinSeoul.12ThegreengrowthagendahasbeenstronglychampionedbytheRepublicof
KoreawithintheframeworkofhostingtherecentG20Summit.
CITYNET
CITYNET is a network committed to helping local authorities improve the lives of its citizens and
createtheurbansustainabilityacrossAsiaPacific.CITYNEThasrestructuredsomeofitsprogramsto
better address the challenges of climate change. Within the newly established Priority Cluster on
ClimateChange,CITYNEThasconsolidatedsomeofitscorecompetenciesincl.environment,water
andsanitationandsolidwastemanagement.ThegoaloftheClusteristopromotebestpracticesand
raiseawarenessinadaptationmeasuresthroughoutAsiaPacific.
Within the framework of the existing partnership, CDIA and CITYNET should strengthen joint
activitiesintheareaofclimatechange.
CAIAsia
ThemissionoftheCleanAirInitiativeforAsianCities(CAIAsia)istopromotebetterairqualityand
livable cities by translating knowledge to policies and actions that reduce air pollution and GHG
emissions from transport, energy and other sectors. CAIAsia aims to place efforts to reduce air
pollution and GHG emissions in a broader context of sustainable and urban development and
climatechange.Besidesworkingdirectlywithcities,CAIAsiaaimsatscalingupitseffortstoreach
outtoafargreaternumberofcitiesacrosstheregion.
CDIA and CAIAsia have embarked on a regional screening process to assess in how far climate
changerelatedactionsandurbaninvestmentshavebeenprioritizedbycitiesinAsiaPacific.Afirst
assessmentreportandbaselinewillbeavailableinFebruary2012.
Singapore
TappingintoSingaporesvastexperienceindealingwithvariousaspectsofclimatechangewouldbe
of great value for CDIA. Different agencies such as Singapores Urban Redevelopment Authority
(URA), Public Utilities Board (PUB) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) have been at the
forefrontofpromotingsustainabledevelopmentapproachesinanurbanspacelikeSingapore.The
SingaporeEnvironmentInstitute(SEI)hasconductedanumberofenvironmentalandclimatechange
relatedtrainingandcapacitybuilding initiatives,onebeingwithGIZsCitiesandClimateChangein
Asiaworkinggroup,andiskeentofurthercollaboratewithCDIA(withthesupportoftheMinistryof
ForeignAffairs).
ExperiencesfromSingaporesNationalClimateChangeSecretariat(NCCS)areinvaluablewithinthe
frameworkofsettingupappropriateinstitutionalstructuresandsystemstoaddressthechallenges
ofclimatechange.
Privatesector
The private sector has championed a number of innovative approaches especially in the area of
green growth, Siemens Green Cities Program and Green City Index being one of the examples.13
CDIAshouldexplorepotentialstoworkwiththeprivatesector,specificallyintheareaofpromoting
green cities including energy efficiency, renewable energies, innovative building and transport
solutions,etc.

12
http://www.g20.org/Documents2010/11/seoulsummit_declaration.pdf
13
http://www.siemens.com/entry/cc/en/greencityindex.htm
6
GermanDevelopmentCooperation(GIZ/TechnicalCooperationandKfW/FinancialCooperation)
German Development Cooperation has refocused a lot of its attention on climate change related
activities. Besides Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding generated through the Federal
MinistryforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment(BMZ),additionalcommitmentshaverecently
come from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
(BMU). Germanys implementing agencies GIZ and KfW provide dedicated technical and financial
cooperation related support within the framework of mitigation and adaptation in countries in
Asia.14
GIZhassetuptworegionalsectorworkinggroupsfocusingonurbanchallengesaswellascitiesand
climatechangeinAsia.Theseworkinggroupshavegeneratedsubstantialknowledgeandexpertise
which would be critical to tap into. A regional training program specifically focusing on cities and
climatechangehasbeendevelopedandimplementedinSouthAsiaandSouthEastAsia.
InternationalFinancialInstitutions
The above mentioned initiatives are complemented by a range of work being undertaken by the
InternationalFinancialInstitutions(IFIs)andMultilateralDevelopmentBanks(MDBs)intheareaof
cities and climate change. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank have setup
dedicated programs to address climate change. This is important as they have significant funds to
financeinvestmentandareconduitsofclimaterelatedfinance.

V. WAYFORWARD:TOWARDSANINTEGRATEDAPPROACHFORCLIMATECHANGE

To further strengthen CDIAs focus on urban resilience and green cities and to shape the annual
topicofclimatechangein2012,specificactivitiesareproposedwhichwouldbeclusteredaccording
to three main components, namely regional networking and knowledge exchange; city
interventions;andcapacitydevelopmentandtraining.
(a) Regionalnetworkingandknowledgeexchange
An expert group roundtable will be organized by CDIA and cohosted by the Centre for Liveable
Cities (CLC) in Singapore on 16 February 2012 to define the main areas of concern with regard to
building greater urban resilience and green cities within the framework of climate change in Asia
Pacific, to define concrete partnerships between different international partners and regional
stakeholders active in the region and to identify priority areas and activities for CDIA to be
undertakenin2012andbeyond.Theaddedvaluewhichwouldbegeneratedbyaninitiativesuchas
CDIAanditsintendednicheintheareaofclimatechangeshouldbefurtherdefinedatthemeeting.
Based on the outcomes of this meeting, a detailed action plan would be developed. Organizing
practicalnetworkingandknowledgeeventsinpartnershipwithdifferentinternationalandregional
partners could be envisaged. A dedicated seminar focusing on urban resilience and green cities
targetingprivatesectorrepresentativesshouldbeorganized.
(b) Cityinterventions
Anumberofcityinterventionsshould beundertakenwithin2012whichspecificallytargetclimate
change, urban resilience and green cities issues, showcasing innovation in terms of mitigation and
adaptation. Where possible, these city interventions should be done jointly with international
partner organizations, especially Rockefeller Foundation, UNHABITAT, GIZ (e.g. Bangladesh,

14
ForexampleincountrieslikeBangladesh,India,Indonesia,NepalandVietnam.
7
Vietnam and Indonesia) and ICLEI, and national partner organizations of CDIA in the respective
countries, especially India, Vietnam and Indonesia. Possible cities will be identified within the
frameworkoftheexpertgrouproundtableon16thofFebruary2012.
(c) Capacitydevelopmentandtraining
Aspartofshowcasingtheannualtopicof2012,acapacitydevelopmentandtrainingprogramshould
be designed. Such a program should be developed based on existing experiences, e.g. in close
partnershipwithGIZ,partnersinSingapore(SEIinpartnershipwiththeMinistryofForeignAffairs),
national partner organizations of CDIA and others. Detailed needs for capacity development and
trainingwillbefurtherspecifiedaftertheexpertgrouproundtable.

CitiesDevelopmentInitiativeforAsia
Suite202203HanstonBuilding,EmeraldAve.,
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Phone:+6326312342Fax:+6326316158
Website:www.cdia.asia

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