IPCC and the City: The Need to Transition from Ideology to Climate Justice

Abstract

The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been released. In it, several sections address climate change, mitigation, and adaptation in cities, with discussions of the crucial role of planning and governance in the same. This article offers a reflection on the urban elements of AR6, pointing to the prevalence of ideological elements in it, typologizing form over critical assessments of real conditions in developing cities. As much as AR6 emphasizes the carbon footprint of society, it ignores the social footprint of carbon and the potentially massive adjustments mitigation and adaptation will require of developing nations and their urban populations.