COP29 may have fallen short, but cities and regions are committed to leading on climate action

Minna Arve is mayor of Turku, Finland, and first vice-president at ICLEI, a global network of local and regional governments focused on sustainable urban development; Marjorie Kauffmann is state secretary for environment and infrastructure for Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and ICLEI vice-president; Mohamed Sefiani is mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco, and ICLEI vice-president; Brigid Shea is a county commissioner for Travis County, Texas, and board chair of ICLEI USA

At a time when international efforts are failing to drive decisive action on climate change, cities and regions are stepping up

The annual global climate summit is a special place, where national representatives are entrusted to be protectors of our shared future. Many representatives from cities and regions who were present at COP29, like us, returned home frustrated, but also with a deep resolve to do better and recommitted to driving climate action forward in our communities.

At COP29, countries struck a new climate finance deal for the first time in 15 years, but the amount of the financing fell far short of our expectations. Other hoped-for outcomes that would encourage countries to prepare more ambitious, multilevel and gender-responsive national climate plans also fell short.

At a time when global processes seem to have lost steam, the leadership of cities and regions stands out as a beacon of hope to deliver action. The nations of the world also cannot solve the problems of climate change alone. It is cities and regions that suffer the greatest human toll from climate disasters, and we are stepping up with solutions.

As the level of government closest to the people, we are uniquely positioned to understand local needs and deliver solutions tailored to our communities. We are also the ones who must respond to climate emergencies in real time, not in five or 10 years.

Cities and regions demonstrate what can be done

In Baku, we shared examples of what can and must be done to respond to the climate impacts all around us. For instance, Turku, Finland, is a global leader in city-level climate action, on track to achieve net zero emissions by its 800-year anniversary in 2029. The city’s ambitious mitigation programme also includes measures to increase its climate resilience and to reduce resource consumption through increased circularity.

In May 2024, the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil, suffered the worst climate catastrophe in its history — a flood that affected 95 per cent of its municipalities, killed hundreds and displaced thousands of people. Now, the state is making great efforts to build and implement recovery plans that are aligned with climate justice and adaptation measures.

At a time when global processes seem to have lost steam, the leadership of cities and regions stands out as a beacon of hope to deliver action

Chefchaouen, Morocco, is an mid-sized city that is leading by example on innovative climate finance; for instance, creating a novel financing mechanism to support its energy transition. The savings generated through improvements to its energy grid fund the repayment of concessional loans used to finance the project.

Meanwhile, Travis County in the US, home to Texan capital Austin, is modelling scenarios of climate-induced migration.

Advancing multilevel collaboration

We, as cities and regions, have also intensified our efforts to advance the adoption of multilevel collaboration — national, regional and local governments working together.

At COP28 in Dubai, a clear vision for effective multilevel governance was established. In addition, COP28’s Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (Champ) for Climate Action reflects a commitment taken by 74 parties to consult subnational governments in the design, implementation and finance of their national climate plans.

COP29 successes

At COP29, cities and regions brought more than 500 delegates, which would place the constituency among the top 10 delegations if it were a country, underscoring our commitment to the multilateral process.

We were also encouraged to see the potential of city and region-led action recognised in Brazil’s updated nationally determined contribution. It shows how an NDC can involve all levels of government in climate planning and implementation to ensure policies that are grounded in local realities.

Another high point of COP29 for multilevel climate action was the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change, which put cities and regions on the official COP agenda. The COP29 presidency’s Declaration on Multisectoral Action Pathways for Resilient and Healthy Cities, which calls for multilevel cross-sector engagement with an emphasis on healthy cities and urban climate finance, was an important outcome.

Looking ahead to COP30

As we look towards COP30 in Belém, Brazil, we remain committed to building a more sustainable and resilient future. We will fight to increase the ambition of global climate finance, insisting the agreed goal of $1.3tn by 2035, including $300bn of public finance, is a floor not a ceiling.

We will also advocate for direct access to funding for subnational governments to support sustainable urbanisation, to avoid climate finance creating a local debt burden. We will also develop interconnected and holistic policies that boost mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity action to create an overall healthier planet.

We will ensure our Town Hall COPs — community engagement platforms modelled on the COP process — bring our communities together to formulate contributions for more ambitious national climate plans. We will keep advocating for inclusive, multilevel, gender-responsive and co-operative action through new NDCs developed in partnership with local and subnational governments.

Progress at COP29 may have been sluggish, but cities and regions are determined to bridge the multilateral leadership gap between Baku and Belém. We are demonstrating our commitment to climate action, and calling on governments and partners, national and global, to match our ambition. The time for weak action is over. We are here to walk the talk, from Baku to Belém.