This chapter explores how rapid urbanization and climate change threaten urban water security, using Windhoek, Namibia, as a case study. It highlights how adaptive, innovative approaches—such as resource-efficient systems and resilient storage—can transform hydrosocial systems to ensure sustainable water access, supporting healthier, more resilient cities (SDG 11) and safeguarding public health (SDG 3). The Windhoek experience underscores the importance of rethinking development pathways to build adaptive, equitable urban water systems in a changing world.
This chapter emphasizes the vital role of water in alleviating multidimensional poverty (SDG 1) by enhancing agricultural productivity, ensuring access to safe drinking water, and restoring ecosystems. Recognizing water as an economic, social, environmental, and institutional good, the chapter advocates for integrated water interventions that support sustainable watershed management, equitable benefit sharing, and ecosystem service expansion. Using a case study from North Gujarat, India, it highlights how water infrastructure development can both reduce and inadvertently deepen inequalities, underscoring the need for sustainable, equitable water management strategies that promote healthier communities and resilient urban environments (SDGs 11 and 3).
This study used the SBASInSAR technique to measure long time-series land subsidence in and around Ludhiana city, Punjab, India, and found that the southern, south-eastern, and south-central parts of the study area had been consistently subsiding with an accumulative average land subsidence rate of 24.7 mm/yr during the investigation period from September 2019 to July 2022, while the western and eastern parts were moderately affected, and the northern part experienced slight upliftment.
This study analyses future changes in heat wave characteristics in India. Future projections show a four-to-seven-fold increase in heat wave frequency, providing a baseline for developing transformational heat-resilient policies and adaptation measures
The article discusses how the Himalayan city of Joshimath is facing multiple natural hazards and disasters, including sinking and land subsidence, which are exacerbated by climate change and rapid urbanization, highlighting the need for sustainable planning and management to address these climate-related challenges
This research studied different heating systems in China and Europe. The sensitivity analysis found that electrifying heating systems with heat pumps can reduce household heating costs and mitigate European cities’ dependence on natural gas, providing policy recommendations on future building cost-effective retrofits and heating electrification in Europe.
This research studied different heating systems in China and Europe. The sensitivity analysis found that electrifying heating systems with heat pumps can reduce household heating costs and mitigate European cities’ dependence on natural gas, providing policy recommendations on future building cost-effective retrofits and heating electrification in Europe.
This study links multiple models for a comprehensive assessment of the economic-environmental-health co-benefits of renewable energy development in China. The results show that developing renewable energy can avoid 0.6 million premature mortalities, 151 million morbidities, and 111 million work-loss days in 2050.
This article links with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by addressing Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and Goal 15 (Life on Land), as it examines how urbanization affects biodiversity and the traits that enable bird species to adapt to urban environments. By developing a predictive framework for urban tolerance, the research contributes to conservation efforts aimed at preserving biodiversity in increasingly urbanized landscapes, thereby promoting sustainable coexistence between human populations and wildlife.
This study provides an assessment of land surface temperature across North, South, and Northwest China in relation to urbanization.
