Cities are ready to act. What is needed to meet their transformative ambitions?
The obstacle to urban climate action is rarely ambition. It is building the finance systems and project preparation support that turn plans into investable projects.
SB64 showed the cost of slow progress – yet local and regional governments can map the way forward
While negotiations at SB64 progressed slowly, cities and regions demonstrated that climate implementation is already underway. Their experiences show why multilevel governance and stronger partnerships are essential to delivering national climate commitments ahead of COP31.
One curriculum transformed Izmir’s climate training, and created an emergency team
In Izmir, four departments stopped working in silos and built one shared curriculum, with results none of them expected.
Cities are in the plans. Are they getting the support to deliver them?
COP30 has come and gone. NDCs 3.0 are on the table. The global community has made its commitments. The question now is whether and how those commitments will actually be delivered.
Climate adaptation Climate mitigation Health Nature-based Development Resilient Development Zero emission Development
When the heat rises, cities act
Heat Action Day, celebrated every year on 2 June, is a moment to recognize the scale of the challenge and the growing range of responses cities are leading. Across ICLEI’s network, those responses take many forms.
Climate adaptation Climate mitigation Health Nature-based Development Resilient Development South America Zero emission Development
Heat, humidity and hard choices: Lessons from Belém’s climate risk analysis
Sitting at the edge of the Amazon rainforest, surrounded by rivers, parks, and some of the richest biodiversity on the planet, Belém seems an unlikely place to talk about heat as a crisis. And yet…
What cities need to unlock the net-zero transition: Lessons from the Kaohsiung-ICLEI Community of Practice
Cities consume over 70% of global energy and account for more than 60% of carbon emissions. With accelerating urbanization, cities…
How cities are moving from climate plans to real transition pathways: Insights from the Kaohsiung-ICLEI Community of Practice
As cities move from planning to implementation, their ambition around climate action is clear. For cities in the Community of Practice, the challenge now is to turn climate action plans into sustained transformation. That means moving from static plans to dynamic pathways, bridging departmental silos, improving public storytelling, and designing policies and projects that activate collaboration with the private sector.
From energy shocks to energy resilience: What cities are teaching us about local energy access, security, and poverty
Energy shocks are exposing the limits of fossil fuel systems, but cities are showing the way forward. New research highlights how local action is linking energy access, affordability and resilience into one integrated solution.
UN beyond 80: An opportunity to position multilevel collaboration and urbanization to save multilateralism and sustainability
After turning 80 in 2025, the United Nations has entered a new era with major reform processes unfolding simultaneously. With only four years until the 2030 Agenda review, multilevel collaboration and urbanization could determine whether multilateralism delivers or falls short.
Earth Day 2026: If you ate fresh food today, thank a farmer
As small-scale farmers steward our soils and nourish our communities, their future is inseparable from that of our planet. As we mark Earth Day (22 April), supporting and valuing their work brings cities and residents into the heart of climate action, strengthening resilient food systems.
Malmö’s blueprint for green finance and what other cities can learn
Malmö competes for capital alongside covered bond issuers, national governments, and corporate. How can a city be so successful?