Introduction to the Special Issue

摘要

Climate change has demonstrated, perhaps more than any other environmental concern, the complexities of the human-nature interrelationship and the fallacy of the modernist assumption about the ability of humans to exploit nature and degrade the environment with little or no consequences. There is now growing awareness that the accelerated rise in global average temperature since the industrial revolution is due to human activities and particularly the burning of fossil fuels. Despite this recognition, the international and national actions taken so far are still inadequate in mitigating the effects of climate change. Efforts are now centrally focused on what is known as the "2℃" challenge. The scientific community is warning that if the global average temperature rises more than 2℃ by 2050, the impact of subsequent climate changes would be catastrophic. To keep the rise at this level requires a drastic reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions; at least 50% of the 1990 level by 2050. The "2℃" mitigation challenge calls for fundamental changes to the ways in which energy is produced and used. It also calls for a shift in the ways in which we perceive nature and treat the environment. The transition to low carbon cities is not just a technical agenda; it is a social agenda, too. Technological advances in the use of renewable energy sources, carbon reduction and storage, and increasing energy efficiency of buildings need to be accompanied by behavioural change. For the latter to happen, environmental consciousness needs to be embedded in social values and norms. The same applies to the need for adapting to climate changes that are underway. These have begun to transform the physical geography of the world and confront millions of people (often those who have been less responsible for climate change) with starvation, shortage of water and homelessness. Building adaptive capacity requires both technical knowhow and behavioural change. The scale, urgency, complexity and uncertainty of climate change require concerted actions: by governance at multiple levels, by professionals with different disciplinary backgrounds, and by communities with different experiences. Urban planners and other built environment professionals, among others, are urged to re-visit some of their traditional concepts, methods, and ways of thinking about what constitutes a "good" city (Davoudi et al., 2009).