This chapter critically examines the intersection of urban metabolism, climate change, and infrastructural fragility in the Global South, highlighting the systemic vulnerabilities and adaptive potentials of rapidly urbanizing regions. By conceptualizing cities as dynamic metabolic systems of energy, water, materials, and information flows, it interrogates how climate stress exacerbates urban heat islands, water scarcity, informal settlement growth, and infrastructural breakdowns. Drawing on empirical case studies and theoretical frameworks, this chapter underscores the uneven distribution of climate risks shaped by socio-economic inequities, governance gaps, and historical patterns of environmental injustice. It explores how urban metabolism analysis, combined with circular economy principles and scenario modeling, can inform transformative climate adaptation strategies. Further, it emphasizes multi-level governance, participatory planning, and innovative financing mechanisms as critical enablers for climate-resilient urban transitions. This chapter advances the argument that infrastructural resilience in the Global South cannot be divorced from social equity and ecological sustainability. It calls for a paradigm shift toward integrated urban planning approaches that bridge technological innovation with community-driven adaptation, enabling cities not only to withstand climate shocks but also to serve as laboratories for low-carbon, inclusive, and sustainable futures. Through this synthesis, this chapter contributes to debates on urban climate governance by offering analytical and policy pathways for reimagining urban resilience in the era of escalating climate uncertainties.

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Urban Metabolism and the Global South: Climate Change and Infrastructural Fragility

  • Matthew Chidozie Ogwu,
  • Sylvester Chibueze Izah

摘要

This chapter critically examines the intersection of urban metabolism, climate change, and infrastructural fragility in the Global South, highlighting the systemic vulnerabilities and adaptive potentials of rapidly urbanizing regions. By conceptualizing cities as dynamic metabolic systems of energy, water, materials, and information flows, it interrogates how climate stress exacerbates urban heat islands, water scarcity, informal settlement growth, and infrastructural breakdowns. Drawing on empirical case studies and theoretical frameworks, this chapter underscores the uneven distribution of climate risks shaped by socio-economic inequities, governance gaps, and historical patterns of environmental injustice. It explores how urban metabolism analysis, combined with circular economy principles and scenario modeling, can inform transformative climate adaptation strategies. Further, it emphasizes multi-level governance, participatory planning, and innovative financing mechanisms as critical enablers for climate-resilient urban transitions. This chapter advances the argument that infrastructural resilience in the Global South cannot be divorced from social equity and ecological sustainability. It calls for a paradigm shift toward integrated urban planning approaches that bridge technological innovation with community-driven adaptation, enabling cities not only to withstand climate shocks but also to serve as laboratories for low-carbon, inclusive, and sustainable futures. Through this synthesis, this chapter contributes to debates on urban climate governance by offering analytical and policy pathways for reimagining urban resilience in the era of escalating climate uncertainties.