"This year, World Habitat Day falls during the month when demographers predict our planet’s seven billionth inhabitant will be born. The future that this child and its generation will inherit depends to a great degree on how we handle the competing pressures of growing population growth, urbanization and climate change."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message on World Habitat Day, 2011
While cities take up approximately 2 per cent of the Earth’s land mass they cause up to 70 per cent of the worlds total CO2 emissions.
Photo: UN-HABITAT
In Resolution 40/202 of 17 December 1985, the UN General Assembly designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day. In 2011, World Habitat Day is commemorated on 3 October.
In 2011, the theme of World Habitat Day is Cities and Climate Change. The effects of urbanization and climate change are converging in dangerous ways. The results of this convergence threaten to have unprecedented negative impacts on quality of life, and economic and social stability.
However, alongside these threats is an equally compelling set of opportunities. Although urban areas, with their high concentration of population, industries and infrastructure, are likely to face the most severe impacts of climate change, urbanization will also offer many opportunities to develop cohesive mitigation and adaptation strategies to deal with climate change. The populations, enterprises and authorities of urban centres will be fundamental players in developing these strategies.
Source: Cities and Climate Change: Global Report on Human Settlements 2011