The pace and reach of contemporary urbanization are unprecedented. Every day, an area equal to about 20,000 soccer fields become converted to urban uses. Every ten days, the global urban population increases by about one million. Currently, urban areas contribute to about 67-72% of global emissions. With urban land areas expected to triple in size between 2015 and 2050, massive infrastructure build-up will result in carbon lock-in and the global share of future urban GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions will increase through 2050.

Why are cities critical to solving the climate crisis? How does large-scale urbanization interact with regional climate change? In this talk, Professor Seto will discuss trends in urbanization and the challenges they present for global sustainability. She will present key findings from the 2022 IPCC report and other new results that document the effects of urbanization on land, biodiversity, food systems, and regional and global climate.