5 Things Cities and Regions Need to Know After COP21

The 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris was the largest convening ever of cities and regions on climate, where they were recognized as being critical to meeting the climate change challenge. Cities are at both ends of the climate change spectrum; they are high consumers of energy as well as high producers of greenhouse gases, producing over 60% of global emissions. Cities are also extremely vulnerable to potential climate change impacts, thus motivating many of their mayors to act on climate change action and provide leadership for the implementation of sustainable and resilient solutions.

With cities playing a front and center role at the climate conference, here is what urban leaders and policymakers need to know about the outcomes of the 2015 Paris Agreement:

1. Agents of change.

A key component of what made this year’s climate convening so successful was the presence and role of cities and regions for the first time at the climate negotiations. Cities bypassed the formal negotiation process and reached their own agreements to address climate change. As the Mayor Hidalgo of Paris said, “cities are not waiting for … the solution. [They] are moving ahead and making a solution possible.” Actions at the local level have the potential to have the greatest impact on global climate change. Two major roadmaps relevant for cities in Europe and the United States include:

• The Paris City Hall Declaration. Over 1,000 local and regional leaders reaffirmed their commitment to tackle climate change. They collectively committed to support and exceed the expected goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, produce and implement participatory resilience strategies and action plans. support ambitious long-term climate goals such as a transition to 100% renewable energy in their communities, and engage in cross-sector partnerships at a variety of scales to enhance cooperation and capacity for charting the course to a low-carbon future.
• The UNFCC’s Lima-Paris Action Agenda ‘Five Year Vision’ (LPAA) is another roadmap for cities that lays out four primary objectives that support local level climate action, including continuing to encourage cities to develop climate action strategies; building resilience in an equitable and inclusive manner; ensuring increased financial flows to territories while accelerating deployment of innovative economic and financial tools; and supporting cross-sector collaboration.

2. Show me the money.

Cities and regions will face two main challenges in regards to climate action and implementation. The first is finance and the perceived conflict between sustainability and economic growth. However, a recent report released by the Global Commission on Economy and Climate (GCEC), an independent initiative formed by former finance ministers and leading research institutions from seven countries, finds that low-carbon cities are a US$17 trillion opportunity worldwide, a conservative estimate given that its based only off of direct energy savings rather than the wider social, economic and environmental benefits of these investments. With the opportunity to have a return of over $20-50 million in capital support for successful projects with every $1 million invested in project preparation, expect cities to develop creative policy and financing instruments to support implementation.

3. Teamwork to make the dream work.

Another commonly identified barrier to implementation is local resources and capacity, or lack thereof. Given the limited budget of many local and regional governments, combined with the findings of the GCEC report, the argument for better cooperation and collaboration between private sector, civil society, and national and regional governments becomes even more imperative. As cities work to quickly and effectively address climate goals, public-private partnerships will continue to be a critical tool for overcoming the challenges of transitioning to a low-carbon and resilient future.

4. A clean energy gold rush?

The 2015 Paris Agreement looks to renewables to tackle the challenge of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, rather than focus on cleaning up the transportation sector or boosting energy efficiency (although these are significant). This is expected to create a groundswell for the clean energy industry, as many countries (developing and developed) will be increasing their investments in wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are even getting in on this boon. For cities, the clean energy is an opportunity waiting to be seized. By developing a clean energy ecosystem, cities can leverage global momentum around the energy transition to drive local level economic growth and the development of businesses as a way of building greater economic resiliency.

5. Local action for global impact. 

While the COP21 has happened, the conversation around sustainable development is hardly over. Policies at all scales are imperative to addressing the challenges and opportunities created by an urbanized world. Most important, however, is the connection that was highlighted between the 2015 Paris Agreement, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the 2016 Habitat III Conference in Quito, Ecuador, which will seek to form “the New Urban Agenda.” The New Urban Agenda will guide the efforts of cities as they urbanize and develop over the next 20 years and lay the foundation for future policies and approaches. The impact of all three of these global convenings has the potential to shape the sustainable development conversation across cities in the United States and Europe.

Looking down the climate action pipeline can be a bit daunting— there’s a lot of work still to be done.  As we look forward, the story will focus on how cities will translate their words in action, thereby allowing them to achieve or even surpass the goals set by the UNFCC. Global engagement, innovation, and an integrated approach will be critical to each city’s success story.

Additional Sources:

http://2015.newclimateeconomy.report/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/NCE2015_...

http://www.uclg.org/sites/default/files/climate_summit_final_declaration...