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From flooded homes to the melting glaciers of the Himalayas, the human cost of climate change was at the center of discussions during COP31 this Thursday. World leaders focused on protecting cities and vulnerable communities, while activists urged governments to ramp up their efforts.<\/strong><\/i><\/p>

Disaster risk financing: a new UN platform aims to unlock more than $3 billion to protect 75 million people against climate shocks by 2030.<\/p>

Climate change is often associated with images of melting glaciers, disappearing forests, and devastating wildfires. But for millions of urban residents, the crisis is now knocking directly at their door.<\/p>

Signs are everywhere: floodwaters invading homes, unbearable heat in poorly designed housing, or neighborhoods where heavy rains turn into disasters due to inadequate drainage systems.<\/p>

“Perhaps we need to change... our imagination when we talk and think about climate change,” said Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, to UN Info on the sidelines of COP31 in Antalya, Turkey.<\/p>

Her message is clear: cities are on the front line of climate change; protecting them means protecting the people who live there.<\/p>

An elderly woman, smiling, with gray hair and wearing red-framed glasses, dressed in a golden blazer and a colorful scarf, stands in front of an official COP31 sign (Antalya, Turkey) dedicated to climate change.<\/p>

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                                                                                    Anacláudia Rossbach, Director of UN-Habitat. A historic moment for cities<\/i><\/p>

For the first time in a United Nations climate conference, the COP31 Leaders’ Summit dedicated a high-level dialogue to urban resilience, adaptation, and climate action.<\/p>

The meeting brought together national and local leaders, financial institutions, and other partners to tackle a growing challenge: up to three billion people lack adequate housing, while more than a billion live in informal settlements, often exposed to flooding, landslides, and extreme heat.<\/p>

In a statement delivered on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, Anacláudia Rossbach, Director of UN-Habitat, emphasized that housing must be at the heart of climate action.<\/p>

“Housing is a climate action. Urban planning is a climate action. Access to basic services is a climate action,” she said.<\/p>

Speaking further to UN Info, she called for greater attention to the most disadvantaged communities, particularly those living in informal settlements with fewer resources to prepare for disasters or recover from them.<\/p>

Protecting them goes beyond strengthening building structures. It also involves access to drainage systems, sanitation, electricity, and water, all supported by better urban planning and adequate funding.<\/p>

“We need a systemic change,” Ms. Rossbach asserted, highlighting the importance of partnerships between governments, banks, businesses, and communities.<\/p>

Signs of progress are visible. A new analysis by UN-Habitat reveals that 80% of national climate plans now integrate well-developed urban measures, compared to 50% during the previous cycle.<\/p>

However, cities need around $4.5 trillion in climate investments per year until 2030, while current funding covers only about one-fifth of that amount.<\/p>

For Ms. Rossbach, this meeting marked a turning point.<\/p>

“We managed to bring all the necessary stakeholders together at this meeting,” she said, expressing hope that cities could make their voices heard more strongly in future negotiations and gain better access to funding.<\/p>

Mayors Mobilize<\/strong><\/p>

Another positive development: 69 mayors, representing more than 250 million people, committed to continuing their climate action for an additional year under the “Yearly Offer of Action” initiative — a 60% increase compared to the previous year. Their projects include flood alert systems in Addis Ababa, the first heat action plan in London, and incentives to improve the environmental performance of 400 commercial buildings in Melbourne.<\/p>

World Leaders Face the Costs of Climate Disasters<\/strong><\/p>

On the second day of the Leaders' Summit, developing countries renewed their calls for aid in the face of increasing climate-related losses.<\/p>

The Seychelles warned that recovery from increasingly destructive storms and floods can trap small countries in debt, while Nepal highlighted the growing dangers facing mountain communities, with melting glaciers and intensifying extreme weather events.<\/p>

After failing to add a specific item to the agenda earlier in the week, Nepal, Bhutan, and Kyrgyzstan joined Tajikistan and Pakistan in calling for better protection of glaciers and mountain communities. Nepal also proposed a “From Sagarmatha to the Sea” partnership, aiming to connect mountain communities with coastal communities, while advocating for reinforced early warning systems and climate financing.<\/p>

Among other highlights, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the appointment of the country's first special representative for climate security, addressing the growing links between climate change, food insecurity, migration, and conflict.<\/p>

Negotiations Still Stalled<\/strong><\/p>

In the negotiation rooms, delegates continued to clash over disagreements regarding adaptation financing and the future of fossil fuels.<\/p>

Small island states demanded faster emission reductions, while fossil fuel-producing countries defended their development priorities, illustrating the difficulty of reaching a consensus.<\/p>

However, financial commitments have emerged elsewhere. Philanthropic organizations announced over $480 million in funding aimed at combating methane and other powerful greenhouse gases, along with an additional $25 million to support emission reductions in seven countries.<\/p>

Five delegates stand aligned, microphones in hand, on a stage during COP31; a man in a navy suit and traditional headdress speaks, while four others listen in front of a yellow and blue-themed backdrop.<\/p>

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 .                                              Greta Thunberg, alongside Nepalese parliamentarian Sagar Dhakal and other climate activists, calls for climate justice at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey<\/i><\/p>

“No One Will Come to Our Rescue”<\/strong><\/p>

“The climate crisis is already here, now, and it is a matter of life and death,” she told journalists gathered in the press area, accusing political leaders of failing to confront the urgency.<\/p>

“The actions of those in power here are completely disconnected from reality,” she asserted.<\/p>

“The planet isn’t dying; it’s being killed — and we know by whom. It’s being killed by those same people we often expect to come to our rescue. No one will come to our rescue.” Next to her, Nepalese parliamentarian Sagar Dhakal recounted participating in efforts to extract people from the rubble following a deadly landslide near the Nepal-Tibet border earlier this year.<\/p>

“I don’t believe there are words in the dictionary to describe such a situation,” he stated.<\/p>

He then held up his phone to show journalists a report from Switzerland, where authorities had monitored an unstable glacier and evacuated residents before it collapsed devastatingly.<\/p>

“Switzerland was able to do that because it had the necessary research and resources,” he explained. “But Nepal could not.”<\/p>

For communities living at the foot of the Himalayas, the contrast is striking: access to science, technology, and early warning systems can make the difference between life and death.<\/p>