55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2050 this will rise to 70% - almost 2.5 billion people. Nearly one billion of these people live in informal settlements.

Cities will also be key in responding to climate change and transformation to sustainable consumption and production. Cities consume close to 2/3 of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Almost half a billion urban residents live in coastal areas, increasing their vulnerability even more.

So, how can we design and develop cities to be resilient to the effects of climate change? How can we provide for affordable housing and infrastructure, promote sustainable economic development and work towards a zero carbon future? And to add to all this, how can we factor migration into this urban management in the era of climate change?

Climate change has rarely, until now, been the sole factor prompting migration, but it most certainly exacerbates it. Yet, there remain gaps in our knowledge and evidence of this.

The Oxford Martin Programme on Informal Cities is collecting new and harmonising existing evidence including geospatial data and satellite imagery to study informal neighbourhoods, economies, health and climate change in cities. With diverse expertise in anthropology, geography, mathematics, data science and epidemiology, the team are investigating the migration effects of climate change and the implications for cities, with a specific focus on Addis Ababa and Delhi.

This panel discussion will look at these challenges, particularly in times of re-emerging conflicts and the global pandemic and investigate what urgent action can academics, policy-makers and the global community take.

Panel Discussion: What does the future hold for cities, climate change and migration