At COP29, California and Japan’s local leaders emphasize that cities must lead the charge on climate action, showing that bold, independent initiatives can drive sustainable futures beyond national policies.
When projects like the Climate Resilience for Communities (CRC) initiative take the time to listen to these stories, they turn local communities’ traditional practices into effective, long-term, resilient and sustainable solutions.
The ICLEI World Congress 2024 in São Paulo gathered over 1,500 attendees, including more than 100 mayors, to advance sustainable urban development on a global scale. Highlighting major initiatives like the ICLEI São Paulo Strategic Vision 2024-2030 and the Urban Infrastructure Insurance Facility, the Congress set the stage for impactful actions shaping our future.
Cities like Baltimore, Boulder, Cleveland, and Coral Springs are collaborating through ICLEI to implement innovative climate actions, from community-driven plans to equitable resilience strategies.
Integrating equity into climate mitigation is essential for creating sustainable cities that serve all residents, particularly marginalized communities. Initiatives like the INCLU:DE project and the Malmö Commitment on Inclusive and Equitable Communities exemplify successful strategies, promoting inclusive planning, inner-city collaboration, and equity-based methodologies.
As the SBs continue to set the stage for COP29, global city representatives shared concrete examples of multilevel governance and partnership for enhanced climate action between national and local governments.
Loss and Damage is a crucial concept in the global climate dialogue, addressing the adverse effects of climate change that cannot be avoided through mitigation and adaptation efforts. This blog delves into the latest discussions from Daring Cities 2024 Bonn Dialogues and the SB60 in Bonn, shedding light on the progress and challenges on Loss and Damage.
“The climate crisis is global. But the work to address it is global, national, regional and local” – Axel Schmidt Grael, Mayor of Niterói, Brazil and Chair of the ICLEI Climate Action Support Portfolio, during the CHAMP endorser roundtable on 4 June, under the umbrella of Daring Cities Bonn Dialogues 2024.
Climate adaptation is most impactful when it centers on local communities, addressing real climate impacts and ensuring the most vulnerable are informed about neighborhood actions. In Türkiye, the Climate Resilience for Communities (CRC) project in Izmir exemplifies this by uniting ICLEI, the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, the Z Zurich Foundation, and Zurich Insurance Group Türkiye to help communities understand and manage climate risks, particularly from flooding and extreme heat.
Amidst the urgency of global climate action, São Paulo, Brazil, stands out for its dedication to sustainability and for being the host of the ICLEI World Congress in June 2024, to advance environmental goals and foster international cooperation. The city’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is evident through initiatives like expanding bus lanes, transitioning to a greener bus fleet, promoting urban agriculture, and enhancing green spaces to improve air quality, food security, and urban biodiversity.
As the world shapes the framework for the “Global Plastic Treaty,” the urgency to address plastic pollution has never been more pronounced, with completion aimed by the end of 2024. Regional initiatives like the UrbanShift Latin America Forum in Belém, Brazil, highlight how local actions and policies can align with global efforts to foster sustainable urban development.
The cancellation of this year’s UN Regional Climate Weeks, raised concerns about the regional dimensions at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Contrasting this, local and regional governments in Latin America are advancing their own ‘regional dialogues,’ with Belém, Brazil, emerging as a key hub for climate discussions and preparations for a successful COP30.
