Five insights for cities facing water bankruptcy
What happens when water scarcity is no longer temporary? The concept of “water bankruptcy,” developed by 2026 Stockholm Water Prize…
Land degradation doesn’t stop at city limits: Local leaders make the case at the UNCCD COP17 Mayors’ Forum
In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, local and regional leaders called for a stronger voice, greater resources and a more structured role in the global response to land degradation, desertification and drought.
Small floods, small solutions: How a neighborhood in Izmir learned to hold back the water
In Pazaryeri, it does not take a major flood to ruin a shop or damage a home, and it does not take a major intervention to prevent it.
Why the IPCC’s next report could be a turning point for cities
The forthcoming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Cities (SR-Cities) could become a major scientific and political resource for urban climate action. But whether it does will depend on work already underway to translate evidence into stronger multilevel governance, practical tools, investment-ready solutions, and locally meaningful narratives.
Only 15 percent of SDGs are on track. At the UN High-Level Political Forum, cities showed a way
ICLEI emphasized the indispensable role of local and regional governments in delivering global commitments and helping shape the international framework that will succeed them.
Geographic access: How cities use mapping to drive fairer decisions
Where people live often determines the opportunities and risks they face – albeit often resulting from economic pressures, planning decisions, environmental conditions, and historical policies.
Five cities rewriting the rules on climate action through plastics circularity
From reducing emissions to boosting climate adaptation, cities around the world are showing how Rethink, Regenerate, Reduce, Reuse and Recover strategies are turning action on plastics into a powerful lever for climate action.
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.
Daring Cities 2026 Bonn Dialogues: What it takes to make the implementation era truly multilevel
Leaders convened on 10 June at the Daring Cities 2026 Bonn Dialogues Opening Plenary to examine the changing landscape of climate governance and explore how cities and regions can move from ambition to implementation.
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.