According to the World Bank, cities have the potential to make a significant impact in the fight against global warming, as they can act more quickly and effectively than governments struggling to reach a UN climate agreement. Andrew Steer, the World Bank's special envoy for climate change, highlighted that the 10 largest cities in the world emit more greenhouse gases than Japan. He emphasized the need for reforms, such as changes to carbon markets, to help cities become more environmentally friendly. A World Bank study indicated that urban areas, which are home to just over half of the world's population and account for two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions, could contribute to combating climate change by transitioning to greener transportation, clean energy, and improved waste recycling. Steer stated that cities are both a major contributor to climate change and a key potential solution to it. The text highlights the significant economic power of the world's 50 biggest cities, which have a combined gross domestic product second only to the United States and ahead of China. It also mentions Tokyo and New York as having economies larger than those of Canada or Turkey. The UN climate talks, which aim to reach consensus on measures to slow global warming, are facing challenges due to the diverse opinions of the 194 countries involved. For example, over 1,000 US mayors agreed in 2008 to cut greenhouse gases in line with the UN's Kyoto Protocol, despite the fact that the US government never ratified the accord. Many of the world's major cities, such as Tokyo, Shanghai, New York, and Buenos Aires, are located near bodies of water, making them vulnerable to floods and rising sea levels. The World Bank is pushing for changes to the UN market mechanism that currently supports individual projects in developing countries, like solar panels in Morocco or hydropower in Honduras. They argue that a broader, city-wide approach is needed to address infrastructure needs like flood barriers and hydrogen-powered buses. This proposed reform of the UN's Clean Development Mechanism would streamline the process for cities to receive funding for multiple projects, rather than having to seek approval for each individual initiative. The CDM currently allows companies to invest in green projects in developing nations and receive credits for reducing emissions. Steer also mentioned that the opinions of city residents regarding the best places to live were changing. In previous years, areas like the east side of London, which suffered from high levels of industrial air pollution, were inhabited by low-income individuals. However, in the future, it is predicted that low-lying regions prone to river floods or rising sea levels will become the new homes of the less fortunate.