Cities and climate change: The great decarbonisation challenge

We are in the midst of “the critical decade”. It is now that our decisions and actions in relation to mitigation of and adaptation to climate change will determine the success or failure of decarbonisation transitions needed to avoid severe impacts of climate change. This is not solely a technological, social, economic or governance issue. Addressing climate change demands fundamentally different practices in all these areas combined. Cities and urban areas are expected to play a significant role in the great decarbonisation challenge.