The world is becoming increasingly urbanized. Since 2007, more than half the world’s population has been living in cities, and that share is projected to rise to 60 per cent by 2030.
Cities and metropolitan areas are powerhouses of economic growth, contributing about 60 per cent of global GDP. However, they also account for about 70 per cent of global carbon emissions and over 60 per cent of resource use.
The impact of COVID-19 will be most devastating in poor and densely populated urban areas, especially for the one billion people living in informal settlements and slums worldwide, where overcrowding also makes it difficult to follow recommended measures such as social distancing and self-isolation.
The UN food agency, FAO, warned that hunger and fatalities could rise significantly in urban areas, without measures to ensure that poor and vulnerable residents have access to food.
Facts & Figures
Half of humanity – 3.5 billion people – lives in cities today and 5 billion people are projected to live in cities by 2030.
95 per cent of urban expansion in the next decades will take place in developing world
828 million people live in slums today and most them are found in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia.
The world’s cities occupy just 3 per cent of the Earth’s land, but account for 60-80 per cent of energy consumption and 75 per cent of carbon emissions.
Rapid urbanization is exerting pressure on fresh water supplies, sewage, the living environment, and public health.
Cities account for between 60 and 80 per cent of energy consumption and generate as much as 70per cent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions
90 per cent of urban growth is forecasted to happen in Asia and Africa in the next 30 years.
By 2050 70 per cent of the world population is predicted to live in urban settlements.
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