In the years after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its last assessment report, in 2006, a few scientists not involved in writing the reports made the case to the UN-based organization that future reports should pay closer attention to the potential of cities and urban settlements to mitigate climate change.
One of those voices was Karen Seto, professor of urbanization and geography at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES), whose research focuses on understanding the contemporary patterns of urbanization and their environmental impacts.
http://environment.yale.edu/news/article/seto-lead-coordinating-author-in-ipcc-chapter-on-urbanization/