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For the first time in human history, more people are living in urban areas than rural ones. This unprecedented and ongoing transition coincides with alarming degradation of the natural environment. With so many cities already experiencing the early impacts of climate change there is an urgent need for action.As climate change becomes more apparent it will have massive implications for urban living across the world. Key urban services like transport, water, energy and land use will all be adversely affected. But while “business as usual” points to a disastrous future, there are opportunities to be had from a different approach. With the right leadership, cities offer the potential to be critical leverage points for achieving a transition towards a more sustainable future. If we can work towards making cities respond to the coming challenges in a radical and far sighted way, the implications for sustainability could be deep and profound.