The 15 cities in 15 different countries — three in Asia and the rest in Africa — are all least developed countries (LDCs) with low gross national income, weak human assets and high level of economic vulnerability. But they account for only 3.2 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The cities are Thimphu in Bhutan, Khulna in Bangladesh and Kathmandu in Nepal in Asia and the capital cities of Benin, Mozambique, Mali, Mauritania, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mombasa in Kenya and Diourbel in Senegal in Africa.

The book says Thimphu, located at high altitude, will be affected by climate change predominantly as a result of changing patterns of precipitation. In most cases, climate change has already affected inland and high altitude cities with decrease in rainfall, resulting in rain becoming more concentrated into fewer and heavier storms. The study shows minor floods that affect people’s lives and livelihoods take place more frequently than major disasters.

It also says that heavy rainfalls, which may become frequent as a result of climate change, is also linked to an increased incidence of landslides in Thimphu and, besides, the city being on steep slopes could easily give way to the vulnerable effects of climate change. A slope greater than 30 percent is considered to be a landslide high-risk zone, according to the study.

One of the key factors, which affects Thimphu city, is the lack of sufficient drainage, leaving people vulnerable to flooding after heavy rains, says the report. The same is the case with Kathmandu, with 25 percent of households, totalling a million, vulnerable to floods because of inadequate drainage.

The countries’ poor infrastructure, lack of expertise and manpower and simultaneously having to deal with issues of poverty, and environmental degradation make them particularly vulnerable, says the report.

The biggest threat for coastal cities is a rise in sea level and they often suffer from flooding and coastal erosion. Many coastal cities in LDCs are found in tropical areas, with hot and humid climates and low-lying land, both of which heighten their vulnerability. The report says only two percent of the world’s land is in the low elevation coastal zone - the area adjacent to the coast that is less than ten metres above sea level - but this zone is home to 10 percent of the world’s population, 60 percent of whom live in urban areas.

Often this group experience flooding, coastal erosion, high temperature and storm, violent wind, drought, landslide, water scarcity and wildfire. In dry-land cities, where rainfall has always been low, drought is the issue most likely to be accentuated by climate change. Studies have shown the children in Africa, born in a drought year, are significantly most likely to be malnourished.

Information provided in this report was gathered and analysed by capacity strengthening in the least developed countries for adaptation to climate change (CLACC) programme. CLACC is a multi-year project involved in 15 countries in Asia and Africa under the coordination of IIED. CLACC did research in each CLACC country on key issues related to vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. It focuses on the particular challenges facing urban areas that contain half the world’s population, says the report.