Climate change and its impacts are one of the most important challenges for the future of mankind. It is a global phenomenon and its impacts will be felt locally—in cities, towns, and other human settlements in the rural areas. As the United Nations agency for human settlements, UN-HABITAT is concerned with those amongst us that are already living on the edge, surviving with limited resources and in difficult and extreme circumstances. Estimates indicate that already one third of the billion people now living in slums are environmental refugees. But even in cities, it is the poor who are most affected by rising sea levels, floods and hurricanes.
We are therefore pleased and excited to support Eden and the Edge, which will be a place that engages with all the great issues of our age, such as climate change, water supply, energy and resources. It will be a gathering space where solutions to challenges such as these will be explored by local communities with a global perspective, and will provide a setting in which to demonstrate that whilst resources may be limited, our imagination and ingenuity is not."
Anna Tibaijuka, Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT.
