The economic cost of climate change impact in cities could reach US$360 billion annually by 2030, according to the Global Commission on Adaptation. As cities around the world set their sights on achieving climate resilience, what can governments do to support the parallel transition to net-zero cities? How can governments enable and co-create with different stakeholder groups to achieve this ambitious endeavour?​

Minister Desmond Lee will deliver opening remarks followed by a fireside chat about the role of government in enabling sustainable and liveable cities for all.

Cities house more than half of the world’s population, and are responsible for more than 70% of global greenhouse emissions. As the planet heats up in excess of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, many coastal cities will face an existential threat from rising sea levels, while countless others would face the challenge of accepting immigrants from areas that are no longer liveable. 

In this presentation segment, C40 Executive Director Mark Watts unpacks the key emissions drivers for cities, the world's most climate-vulnerable urban environments, as well as cities which have established clear pathways to decarbonisation. 

Cities cover 3% of the earth’s land surface yet consume 78% of the world’s primary energy. Delivering on the objectives of the Paris Agreement will require cities to take transformational action in reducing transportation emissions, improving building energy efficiency, increasing the supply of green energy, and changing consumption patterns. 

But governments and the public sector cannot do so alone. Private sector brings expertise in new technologies, innovative solutions, technical know-how and financing, which is critical given the fiscal constraints developing nations face. Businesses can also contribute substantively to all aspects of the urban value chain, including planning, design and implementation, as well as the financing of urban service delivery.  But bringing these two different elements together can prove challenging in practice.

In this panel, urban development experts hailing from different cities across the world will share their views on how public-private partnerships can effectively enable the development and management of city infrastructure and services to meet the net-zero agenda and transform the urbanised world.

The building and construction sector is the biggest offender when it comes to global emissions, with the built environment accounting for 39% of gross annual carbon emissions worldwide. Within the space, embodied carbon – the amount of carbon emitted during the construction of a building – poses a clear obstacle to net zero with the construction indstry's prevailing practice of tapping on materials from hard-to-abate sectors. Driving down embodied carbon to an absolute minimum is hence vital in achieving global emissions reduction targets. 

Atelier Ten's Founding Director, Patrick Bellew and Electra's CEO Sandeep Nijhawan will share technologies and innovations that tackle the problem of embodied carbon, and shine the spotlight on carbon-light materials and design that pave the way for a net-zero world. 

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the number of weather-related disasters has more than tripled over the past 30 years, with an average of 335 weather-related disasters occurring each year between 2010 and 2019. These catastrophes have resulted in a loss in more than 1 million lives and have impacted over 4 billion people, causing significant economic and social disruptions. There is a clear and urgent need to double down on strengthening climate resilience in our cities and communities, to minimise risks associated with extreme weather and other climate-associated impacts.

But adaptation finance is lacking. Mitigation projects accounted for 94% of international climate investments in 2022, while adaptation projects continue to lag far behind even though financing climate adaptation measures in cities could generate an estimated USD 7.1 trillion in total net benefits by 2030. 

What are the resulting risks posed to businesses and communities? What role can the private sector play in building climate-resilient cities, and what are the key technologies and solutions that can enable urban populations to thrive even in the face of extreme weather-related events?

We live in a world that is heavily reliant on fossil fuels; construction is responsible for 11 percent of the world’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, and air pollution reduces global life expectancy by an average of two years. All of us need to recognize the irreversible damage being done and take action now.

From all-electric battery energy storage solutions to thermos-chemical technology for smoke reduction, join journalist and broadcaster Manisha Tank in conversation with passionate innovators and Earthshot Prize finalists Brandon Ng and Vidyut Mohan on their work in improving living conditions in urban environments.

Our planet is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice: either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet, or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve.

In 2023, we find ourselves in a world going through seismic change. Macro trends feel often overwhelming, exacerbated through failing global processes; increasingly severe climate disruptions, widening social and economic inequity; and sharp division between demographics about the very reality of our shifting circumstances. 

By the end of this decade we must reduce emissions by over 40% and protect 30% of our nature and oceans. To protect and restore our planet, we must ensure that climate denialism doesn’t slip into climate defeatism and we must spotlight and scale innovative solutions. 

This November, The Earthshot Prize - founded in 2020 by HRH Prince William - will be held in Singapore, and in this closing plenary, Earthshot Prize CEO Hannah Jones makes the case for optimism over defeatism with an urgent call to speed proven environmental solutions to scale.