Summary

This Recommendation is aimed at a broad audience of stakeholders interested in information and communication technologies (ICTs), climate change adaptation, and smart sustainable cities (SSCs), including city decision-makers and planners. Urban stakeholders, including mayors and city planners, are invited to consider novel approaches to sustainability by integrating the use of ICTs in their climate change adaptation strategies and policies. The following are the key steps:

•            assess climate change risks and vulnerabilities:

•            develop an action plan;

•            identify the role of ICTs and infrastructure in the adaptation plan;

•            implement adaptation actions;

•            monitor and evaluate adaptation actions using ICT.

Climate change may negatively impact urban ICT infrastructure and the provision of key public services (e.g., health, water supply and sanitation, energy provision, waste management, mobility, urban planning and food security), which are all crucial dimensions for sustainable development and are becoming heavily dependent on ICTs for their operation.

The main areas where ICTs can support urban adaptation policies are:

•            the development of effective climate-related disaster risk management (DRM) programmes in cities;

•            the early stage of urbanization planning, by providing high quality data and information to help city planners to cope with climate change and build resilient cities;

•            facilitation of communication and exchange of information between the relevant stakeholders involved in climate change adaptation for informed decision-making.