Committing to a global initiative for net-zero emissions is a proactive step that cities can take to address climate change, promote sustainability, unlock economic opportunities, enhance public well-being, build resilience, and contribute to international collaboration for a more sustainable future. By joining one or more initiatives, and aligning your activities within them, your city can enhance its international visibility and access to partnerships and opportunities to support its transition.

Some of the most relevant initiatives and networks your city can join are listed below:

• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), the largest global alliance for city climate leadership across the globe uniting over 13,000 cities and local governments and 100+ supporting partners. The cities and partners of GCoM share a long-term vision of supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and move towards a resilient and low-emission society.
• Cities Race to Zero, the track of Race to Zero for cities only, where cities are uniting to demonstrate their support for inclusive climate action in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
• Cities Race to Resilience, the track of Race to resilience for cities only, where cities across the globe mobilise and commit to prioritising resilience and implementing inclusive and resilient climate action.
• Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA), a collaboration project sponsored by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network of leading global cities working to achieve carbon neutrality in the next 10-20 years
• ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, global city network strengthening action at all levels in support of sustainable urban development. It build connections across levels of government, sectors and stakeholder groups, sparking city-to-city, city-to-region, local-to-global and local-to-national connections.
• C40, a global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities that are united in action to confront the climate crisis

See also the resources on international reporting platforms.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Gaining inspiration for an ambitious vision encompassing solutions for environmental, economic and social challenges at once is crucial for a city as it can offer a clear roadmap for medium to long term sustainable development and growth. A holistic vision can help foster local innovation, attracting investment and talent. It promotes resilience, enabling cities to adapt to challenges effectively. Ambitious visions inspire community engagement, fostering a sense of pride and commitment among residents. A city with an ambitious vision is better equipped to address urgent issues, create a thriving environment for the local community, contributing positively to global goals. Inspiration for an ambitious vision can arise by exploring deep meaning and motivation for action, thriving for a better world.

Some ideas for you:

• Cities & Regions: Let's Get Started (2023), a guide for local and regional governments offering nine pathways to engage with Doughnut Economic , an economic model helping identify a type of development allowing humanity to thrive in an environmentally safe space while ensuring a socially just world.
• Presencing Institute hosted by the MIT, is an organisation that fosters the transformation of the economy and its key social systems from Ego to Eco, via the Theory U, and provides ways for leaders to develop better visions for the city.
• Beyond GDP series of the World Economic Forum examining the past, present and future role of GDP – and the new economic models that could replace it
• The Shift Project, French think tank advocating the shift to a post-carbon economy in Europe, acting as a proactive source of proposals which focus primarily on the resources required to make the shift to an economy free of dependency on fossil fuels
• Beyond Growth – Towards a New economic approach (2020, OECD), report with the conclusions of a high-level group of experts invited by the OECD to contribute their proposals on what needs to change in economic policy and policymaking

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Leadership can help drive and accelerate net-zero transition. By exploring and adopting innovative approaches - such as leveraging smart technologies for energy efficiency, implementing circular economy principles to reduce waste, and facilitating public-private partnerships for sustainable development projects - cities can lead the community by example. Through embracing collaborative and participatory leadership, local policymakers can empower the community to contribute ideas and implement bottom-up solutions, fostering a sense of shared responsibility in achieving net-zero goals.

Some initiatives and city networks you can join:

• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy the largest global alliance for city climate leadership across the globe uniting over 13,000 cities and local governments and 100+ supporting partners. The cities and partners of GCoM share a long-term vision of supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and move towards a resilient and low-emission society.
• Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition brings together leaders from government, private sector, academia, and civil society to expand the use of carbon pricing policies.
• Through the Under2 Coalition cities and subnational governments can participate in a global multi-level governance net-zero-emission network. Being co-members in the network, enables you to influence national governments ambitions on a horizontal level.
• Presencing Institute hosted by the MIT, is an organisation that fosters the transformation of the economy and its key social systems from Ego to Eco, via the Theory U, and provides ways for leaders to develop better visions for the city.
• Cities & Regions: Let's Get Started (2023), a guide for local and regional governments offering nine pathways to engage with Doughnut Economic , an economic model helping identify a type of development allowing humanity to thrive in an environmentally safe space while ensuring a socially just world.
• Leading cities is a global non-profit that drives action and solutions for a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future through innovation and education for entrepreneurs, governments, and corporations.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Engaging citizens and stakeholders in the city's net-zero transition is vital for ensuring broad support, fostering ownership, and harnessing collective efforts and ingenuity. Cities can organise public consultations, citizen forums, and collaborative workshops to gather input, raise awareness, and co-create solutions. By involving residents, businesses, local grass-root organisations, and other stakeholders, cities can tap into diverse perspectives, build trust, and mobilise resources, ultimately driving more effective and inclusive action toward achieving net-zero emissions.

Some guidance and ideas can be found below:

• Art can help communicate the urgency of climate change and action. By connecting and engaging with artists, cities can be supported in developing innovative and creative climate action storytelling. Some examples at the global level: Project Everyone, Create2030 and Art-2030. Connect and work with your local artists!
• Transitioning to a more sustainable future for our local, very complex communities is challenging. These resources can offer guidance and inspiration for your local transition: consult this Roadmap by the Urban Transitions Alliance, presenting initiatives that are building inclusive communities by reconnecting citizens to resources at the local level, read this Public Engagement guide for cities (WWF), and check-out the many resources available on the “Collaboration, Coordination and Outreach” section of the C40 Knowledge hub.
• Urban Living Labs are real-life test and experimentation environments that foster co-creation and open innovation among Citizens, Government, Industry, Academia (Quadruple Helix Model). Via the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) you can access capacity building and training programmes, resources and material for global application.
• Cities & Regions: Let's Get Started (2023), a guide for local and regional governments offering nine pathways to engage with Doughnut Economic, an economic model helping identify a type of development allowing humanity to thrive in an environmentally safe space while ensuring a socially just world.
• The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency’s methodology on stakeholder participation can help enhance stakeholder participation across the lifecycle of climate action planning. Discussions and debates can help create the city strategy, such as in the case of Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan.
• GIZ City WORKS is a toolbox developed to support the implementation of global agendas (such as the SDGs) at the city level, including a process-oriented approach with methodological and technical tools for each step, from data gathering and community engagement, to monitoring and reporting.

See more resources on how to communicate your strategy and results effectively.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

You can’t reduce what you can’t measure. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventories for a city are comprehensive assessments that quantify the emissions of greenhouse gases produced within its boundaries. GHG inventories are essential to help a city understand emissions sources, identify hotspots and priority sectors, and develop targeted mitigation strategies to achieve climate goals effectively. Inventories can paint a picture of key areas of action in both government operation and community-scale. Regular updates and refinement of GHG inventories help cities track progress and adjust policies for sustainable urban development, to help you collect data, process information and forecast the impact of the climate strategy.

Some resources and tools are selected below:

• Common Reporting Framework (CRF) of the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) includes recommendations to streamline measurement and reporting procedures, ensure robust climate action planning, implementation and monitoring, and retain the flexibility needed to meet local and regional contexts. Standardised yet flexible reporting that allows GCoM cities for progress tracking provides a springboard for stronger multilevel climate and energy governance – and improved technical and financial support.
• The Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2021) (GPC for cities) provides an accounting and reporting standard for cities.
• ClearPath is an online platform designed to assist local governments in completing greenhouse gas inventories, forecasts, climate action plans, and monitoring at both community-wide and government-operations scales. It is engineered to support the full mitigation journey, from setting a baseline inventory of GHG emissions to tracking the progress of implemented actions. It is available only for US cities.
• C40’s Adaptation and Mitigation Interaction Assessment (AMIA) tool can be used to map synergy potential, trade-offs and mal-investment risks, as well as get case studies and resources to support you build a robust GHG inventory.
• Data Portal for cities, developed by WRI and GCoM, provides cities with access to preliminary estimates of key activity data and emission factor sets necessary for calculating a GHG inventory and shaping climate and energy priorities.

Please see also the resources to include indirect emissions, monitor and report your implementation, validate and update your strategy.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Developing a comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, including indirect, “Scope 3” or consumption emissions, is crucial for cities to accurately measure their carbon footprint, identify key sources of emissions in a fair way, force greater disclosure and awareness, and track the collective progress towards emission reduction goals. Cities can trigger national or global action, prioritise actions, and effectively address their full carbon impact, contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.

Some selected resources for you:

• Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2021) (GPC for cities) provides an accounting and reporting standard for cities. You can explore the Open Data Portal of the CDP-ICLEI track to discover how cities across the globe are taking action.
• Data Portal for cities, developed by WRI and GCoM, provides cities with access to preliminary estimates of key activity data and emission factor sets necessary for calculating a GHG inventory and shaping climate and energy priorities.
• Urban Greenhouse Gas Modeling Tools (2023) help cities and organisations working with cities understand and select from among the tools available, based on their needs.
• Consumption-based emissions inventories allow cities to take ownership of the entire carbon footprint of the city, including both local production and consumption. You can read more about that in a related C40 Policy brief (2022).
• Carbon pricing captures the external costs of the GHG emissions on the environment, economy and healthcare, shifting the responsibility of the damage and providing an economic signal to the emitters. Cities can put a price on carbon as well. You can read more about that in the Carbon Pricing Dashboard of the World Bank, see how to apply that in a related implementation guide by C40 (2022), assess its potential in the Technical note of the GapFund and join the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition which brings together leaders globally to expand the use of carbon pricing policies.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Adaptation is essential to guarantee safety and resilience of our communities. Cities across the world are increasingly adopting strategies and visions to ensure local adaptation policies and measures are in place. But this is often not enough to guarantee local resilience: it is crucial for a city to carefully consider and address the risk of maladaptation actions in its climate plan and strategy to ensure resilience and effectiveness. By excluding maladaptation risks, cities can avoid investing in solutions that might exacerbate vulnerabilities or have unintended consequences. Incorporating robust risk assessment frameworks and stakeholder engagement processes helps cities develop climate plans that are adaptive, sustainable, and aligned with long-term resilience goals.

Cities can access a variety of curated resource libraries to support you adopt integrated approaches to urban development, identifying the interdependencies between adaptation and mitigation actions, mapping synergy potential, trade-offs and mal-investment risks, as well as understand shocks and stresses and incorporate resilience into the city vision:

• Global Resilient Cities Network (GRCN), their urban resilience planning tools, such as the City Resilience Framework (2015), case studies and other material focusing on specific challenges.
• UrbanSHIFT project, offering guidance and resources to cities to adopt integrated approaches to urban development, building an equitable, zero-carbon future where both people and planet can thrive.
• C40’s Adaptation and Mitigation Interaction Assessment (AMIA) tool and knowledge hub, includes resources to map synergy potential, trade-offs and mal-investment risks, such as the implementation guide on How to disclose your city’s climate-related financial risks (2022, C40).
• Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), partnership that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development. It offers resources such as the white paper on Governance of Infrastructure for resilience (2021, CDRI).

You can also join the initiative Making Cities Resilient 2030 to specifically advance on your resilience strategy, and even sign up as a Resilience Hub if you have an established track record in disaster risk reduction and resilience and are committed to support and mentor other cities in the network.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Planning a net-zero future is not just about setting an ambitious vision. A thorough reality-check of risks that may affect and hinder implementation of the transition process is essential to ensure its success and long-term sustainability. Early identification of barriers such as financial constraints, lack of supportive regulatory frameworks, technological or infrastructural limitations, difficulty in the implementation of digitalisation, lack of social acceptance or political instability, can enable cities to develop proactive strategies, focus efforts on securing necessary resources, and catalyse collaboration among stakeholders. By addressing these risks head-on, cities can enhance the feasibility and effectiveness of their net-zero initiatives, accelerating progress towards a carbon-neutral future.

Valuable support exists for cities in addressing the unique challenges posed by climate change, enabling them to build resilience and thrive in an ever-changing urban landscape. A small selection is given below to you.

• Political commitment is key to secure a course of action and a long-term climate vision for the city beyond the life-time of individual political mandates in the local government. Go check the resources in the step to Make a commitment.
• ClimaHealth and its readiness assessment tool, the World Health Organisation (WHO) framework for building climate resilient health systems, and key steps to identify, envision, develop and apply climate services for health
• Aligning climate strategies and investment plans is essential to secure and plan for adequate resources to support the implementation of urban transitions. You can access resources helping you ensure the climate resilience of investments and inclusive environments collected in
  • the C40 Knowledge Hub on Reducing Climate Impacts on Urban Sectors,
  • the website of the Partnership for Resilience and Preparedness (PREP),
  • the OECD’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, World Banks’s platform on urban development, as well as
  • the page of the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI), focusing on infrastructures’ lifecycle.
• Check out also the resources to support you develop a technical pre-feasibility assessment for the actions, identify financing options for your projects and financial strategies for adaptation actions.
• In order to address the risks connected to digitalisation you can refer for example to
  • the resources of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the digital transformation for people-centred cities, providing guidance and capacity-building initiatives for cities to navigate the challenges and opportunities of digitalization, focusing on building digital infrastructure, fostering digital literacy, and ensuring cybersecurity measures.
  • the resources of the UN Habitat’s People-Centred Smart Cities Flagship Programme, aiming at ensuring that deployment of technology and innovation is used to ensure sustainability, inclusivity, prosperity and human rights in cities
  • the Digital with Purpose initiative and conference, supporting to catalyse action and deployment of impactful digital technologies throughout the Information and Communications Technology sector (ICT).

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Assessing and analysing existing regulations, policies, and frameworks is key for a city to pinpoint areas where existing measures or restrictions impede progress in areas such as technology, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development. Addressing these gaps through targeted reforms, proactive policymaking and connection with other levels of governance fosters an enabling environment for innovation, unlocking economic opportunities, and accelerating the city's journey to net-zero.

• OECD’s regulatory policy outlook offers guidance and best practices for regulatory reform, including tools and frameworks for assessing regulatory impact and identifying areas where regulations may hinder innovation and economic growth.
• European Commission's innovation deals facilitated collaboration between cities, businesses, and policymakers in Europe to analyse and address regulatory obstacles hindering innovation in specific sectors, offering guidance and support for developing tailored solutions and regulatory reforms.
• Connected Places Catapult is a UK-based innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and place leadership, providing impartial ‘innovation as a service’ for public bodies, businesses, and infrastructure providers to catalyse step-change improvements in the way people live, work and travel. The website provides resources and articles on several issues, including addressing regulatory gaps of some innovative approaches.
• The GlobalABC ’s Global and Regional Roadmaps for Buildings and Construction in Africa, Asia and Latin America help set pathways to decarbonization of the buildings and construction sector by 2050. Developed as a framework and a process, they present a comprehensive approach to emission reductions from the built environment along the full life cycle, with aspirational short and medium term and longer-term targets goals aligned with the MPGCA Human Settlements Pathways and timelines towards achieving zero-emission, efficient and resilient buildings and construction between 2020 and 2050. The roadmaps cover eight themes, including urban planning, new buildings, existing buildings, building operations, appliances and systems, materials, resilience and clean energy, in the quest of harnessing the sector’s enormous opportunities for decarbonization and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Heat Action Platform (Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, Arsht-Rock) is a living, engagement-oriented tool for city officials, practitioners, and financial institutions to find guidance, both existing resources and tailor-made solutions, on reducing the human and economic impacts of extreme heat at the regional or municipal level. You can use the different modules to assess, plan, implement and evaluate heat resilience projects and programs that are appropriate for your context.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Analysing data gaps and needs is pivotal for implementing a comprehensive transition to net-zero in a city. It entails assessing gaps in data availability, quality, and accessibility across various dimensions of urban life, encompassing energy consumption, transportation patterns, building emissions, waste management, social needs and more. By understanding these gaps, cities can prioritise data collection efforts, invest in necessary infrastructure and technologies, and foster cross-sector collaboration. Addressing these data gaps enables cities to develop evidence-based policies, drive innovation, and ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of net-zero initiatives, thereby advancing holistic sustainability and resilience across the urban landscape.

• Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) leverages Google's mapping data and machine learning capabilities to offer estimates on building emissions, transportation emissions, rooftop solar potential, and tree canopy coverage. It can be used as a planning and assessment tool, and is widely accessible. Read for example the “Data and Insights to Inform, Action and Monitor Local Mobility Policies” (Dec 2023), a guide launched by Urban Transitions Mission & Google EIE to help cities use data and insights for evidence-based urban mobility planning.
• World Bank Open Data is a free and open database related to global development that cities can use to access and analyse data relevant to policy-making, including datasets on urban infrastructure, demographics, and environmental indicators. Via the same website, you can access a collection of reports and resources, such as the Open Government Data Toolkit is designed to help governments, Bank staff and users understand Open Data, and use them in planning and implementing their programmes. You can also get inspired by the Open Data Initiatives (or organise one!), open data portals that some cities set up to provide access to a wide range of datasets on various urban topics.
• Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (Data4sdgs) is a network of over 700 private sector, academic and civil society organisations, and governments, aiming to ensure that data can be put to good use to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It encourages governments’ wider use of civil society data. Your city can learn from their experience including non-traditional data sources as citizen-generated data, by accessing their resource library and initiatives.
• People-Centred Smart Cities program assists local and national governments to transition to digital platforms, which offers the possibility for cities to install digital inclusive participation opportunities, also considering data collection-issues and therefore fostering greater transparency, collaboration, and responsiveness to community needs in data monitoring processes.
• Data Portal for cities, developed by WRI and GCoM, provides cities with access to preliminary estimates of key activity data and emission factor sets necessary for calculating a GHG inventory and shaping climate and energy priorities
• European Urban Data Platform provides access to information on the status and trends of cities and regions, to EU supported urban and territorial development strategies and to the local dimension of Sustainable Development Goals

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

The Paris Agreement calls for each country to set emissions reductions targets with the global objective of achieving significant emissions reductions to limit warming. Countries committing to the Paris Agreement are required to prepare, communicate and maintain successive Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change, and are key to ensure the success of the Agreement’s long-term goals. According to the IPCC (Synthesis Report of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report), the current NDCs are not enough to limit warming below 2°C. Cities, as hubs of innovation and implementation, can showcase the feasibility and benefits of ambitious climate action, inspiring national policymakers to raise their ambitions and providing practical examples for scaling up efforts at the national level. By aligning, or setting more ambitious targets, than their respective national NDCs, cities can help maximise local climate action impacts in reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement. By aligning with or exceeding ambitions of national targets, and by complementing national efforts with local climate action, cities contribute to broader climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, enhance policy coherence, accelerate implementation of fit-for-purpose solutions and leverage national and international funding mechanisms to maximise impacts. This alignment strengthens collaboration between levels of government, fosters accountability, and accelerate shared goals to achieve a sustainable and resilient future for all.

Signatories of the Global Covenant of Mayors commit to set and work towards a target consistent with or exceeding relevant national commitments defined through the UNFCCC Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). By building on the political commitment pledged through the GCoM, and by building upon the GCoM climate action journey, the UTM helps cities to strengthen existing climate and energy action plans, across all steps. UTM focuses on accelerating implementation and testing innovative solutions and it supports cities to prioritise, identify gaps, better assess potential for co-benefits of adopting systemic approaches to reach net-zero and climate resilient communities.

Suggestions:

• You can explore your country’s national targets on the UNFCCC Nationally Determined Contributions registry and compare your city target with that of your country found in that database.You can find the list of the NDCs on the website of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and opportunities of multi-level governance dialogues being enabled under the platform. For instance, the Talanoa Dialogue Platform enables participatory and inclusive discussions on climate action at all levels of governance.
• The Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency (LGMA) represents networks of local and regional governments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The LGMA brings the voice of cities and regions in the climate negotiation process during the Conferences of Parties (COP) since the first one in 1995, in order to achieve advocacy success for multilevel action in the climate, nature, and desertification processes. The LGMA works on behalf of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, a joint global policy advocacy initiative of the major international networks of local governments, in the area of climate.It coordinates inputs to the global climate negotiations all year, influencing and informing outcomes toward meeting the Paris Agreement via regular communications and monthly webinars with our thematic and regional working groups.
• The Coalition for High Ambition Multi-Level Partnerships’ (CHAMP), pioneering initiative launched at COP28 that provides a mechanism to harvest the best ideas for climate action from the local level, with the goal of ensuring the next round of national climate targets are as ambitious and inclusive as possible.You can read in particular the potential of this collaboration in the technical brief Local Action for Global Goals: An Opportunity for Enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (2024)
• You can join the Cities Race to Zero, the track of Race to Zero for cities only, where cities are uniting to demonstrate their support for inclusive climate action in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
• Through the Under2 Coalition cities and subnational governments can participate in a global multi-level governance net-zero-emission network. Being co-members in the network, enables you to influence national governments ambitions on a horizontal level.

Guidance and tools for you to share targets and data:

• Through the Open Data Portal of the CDP-ICLEI track you can discover how cities across the globe are taking action, benchmark your performance against global peers and assess their alignment with national climate targets, including NDCs.
• Integrity Matters: Net zero commitments by businesses, financial institutions, cities and regions (2022) report providing recommendations in ten areas, with specific sub-recommendations for cities, to address net zero pledges and commitments.
• Seizing the Urban Opportunity (2021) is a report outlining how some national governments (China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa) could help create low-carbon, resilient and inclusive cities.
• C40’s Vertically Integrated Action Tool (VIA) aids city governments in assessing and analysing alignment between city-level action and action at other levels of government.
• Global Covenant of Mayors’s Global Common Reporting Framework (CRF) aids cities to track their climate actions and progress towards achieving their climate targets. Cities can use this tool to align their actions with their country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and compare their performance against national and international benchmarks.
• You can explore the website of the Science-based Target Network, offering guidance to help cities understand and set climate science-based targets, such as the SBTs Climate guide (2020).Nature science-based targets for cities are under development.
• Go explore other country-related data on the SDG Helpdesk.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

A carbon emissions target is defined as science-based if it is in line with the scale of reductions required to keep global temperature increase below 2°C above pre-industrial temperatures. The Paris Agreement works on a 5 year cycle to increase overall ambition, emphasising the need of achieving significant global emissions reductions to limit warming. It requires countries part of the Agreement to prepare, communicate and maintain its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) which show the country’s effort to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Cities can contribute to achieving these national goals, by setting ambitious per capita emissions reduction targets.

“A science-based climate target is a city-wide emissions reduction target that represents a fair share of the global emissions reduction required to halve emissions by 2030 and reach global net zero by 2050.” (CDP) If the city sets a science-based climate target, that is aligned with the Paris Agreement.

Resources to understand and set a science-based target for your city:

• Science-based Target Network, offering guidance to help cities understand and set climate science-based targets, such as the Science-based Climate targets: A guide for cities (2020) bringing extensive and tailored detail on how cities can set a science-based target.. The guide helps cities to understand what a science-based target for cities is and guides them in choosing a methodology for setting an interim science-based target by 2030 and a net zero target for 2050. It also explains how to join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Race to Zero. Nature science-based targets for cities are under development.
• Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) website page on Science-Based Targets for Sub-national governments, offering also events and webinars on the theme.
• ICLEI's GreenClimateCities (GCC) program offers process guidance and a framework tailor-made to provide local and regional governments with guidance and support to analyse, act, and accelerate climate action by integrating low emission and climate resilient development into urban development policies, plans, and processes.
• OPCC methodology to set your 2030 & 2050 reduction targets.
• C40’s Deadline 2020 methodology to set reduction targets for any year until 2050, defining a climate safe emission pathway, based on the city typology.
• Tyndall methodology, helping UK cities to test if their energy targets are Paris-compliant and develop climate safe trajectories for energy budgets.

Additional suggestions:

• Consider benchmarks: Research suggests aiming for around 2.9 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person by 2030 is a good target for developed countries with strong reduction plans.
• National context matters: Developing countries might have slightly higher targets based on their circumstances. Refer to your country's NDCs for guidance.
• Focus on reduction pathway: The most important factor is a clear pathway to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, even if the exact per capita number varies slightly.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Referring to the world as a whole, the IPCC defines net-zero “when anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere are balanced by anthropogenic removals over a specified period”. A net-zero target for cities refers to achieving a state where human-caused greenhouse gas emissions within the city are balanced by removals of those gases.

• Balanced emissions: The city's total emissions (from buildings, transportation, etc.) are either reduced to zero or brought down to a very small level.
• Removals: These are processes that capture and store greenhouse gases, like planting trees or using carbon capture technologies.

In essence, a net-zero target for cities means the city isn't adding any new greenhouse gases to the atmosphere on a net basis. This aligns with the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming.




Race to Zero considers individual actors to have reached a state of net zero when “an actor reduces its emissions following science-based pathways, with any remaining GHG emissions attributable to that actor being fully neutralised by like for-like removals (e.g. permanent removals for fossil carbon emissions) exclusively claimed by that actor, either within the value chain or through purchase of valid offset credits.“ In order to reach that, the action plan shall ultimately include scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions of a city, considering the entire community.

Please refer to the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2021) and the Common Reporting Framework (CRF) of the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) for further detail.

You can explore the following resources:

• Go explore also the opportunity to include indirect emissions in your inventory.
• Integrity Matters: Net zero commitments by businesses, financial institutions, cities and regions (2022) report providing sub-recommendations for cities to address net zero pledges and commitments.It recognises the importance of making long-term pledges but also short-term science-based targets, as well as transition plans showing immediate reductions in emissions and fossil fuel use to achieve a just transition.
• World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Net-Zero Carbon Cities initiatives, fostering public private collaboration to bridge the gap across the energy, built environment and transport sectors. You can access insights and resources, on top of the Toolbox of solutions , an open online database contains best practices and case studies for urban decarbonization across the energy, built environment, mobility and water & waste management systems
• ICLEI's GreenClimateCities (GCC) program offers process guidance and a framework tailor-made to provide local and regional governments with guidance and support to analyse, act, and accelerate climate action by integrating low emission and climate resilient development into urban development policies, plans, and processes.
• Net Zero by 2050 Data Explorer provides interactive graphs showing historical and projected data from the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s 2021 Net Zero by 2050 report.
• Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance, a global group of Financial Service Providers committed to supporting the goal of global net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Understanding, linking, and incorporating the climate targets of local businesses and companies is crucial for cities looking to co-create a holistic strategy for transitioning to net-zero emissions. Efforts to proactively include local stakeholders in the design of a city’s vision to net-zero are essential for fostering buy-in, collaboration, and shared responsibility in achieving sustainability objectives.

Mapping the local context and assessing overall city’s economic activities and sectoral priorities is an important very first step to meaningfully engage local stakeholders, businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs, local companies and informal activities. It is key to engage them all from the beginning of the creation of the city’s strategy, ensuring that city plans reflect diverse perspectives, leverage local expertise, and align with economic realities.

Tips to foster engagement:

• Engage in Dialogue: Initiate dialogue with local businesses and companies to understand their climate targets, commitments, and challenges. Conduct stakeholder consultations, workshops, and forums to gather insights and foster collaboration.
• Conduct Assessments: Assess the climate-related goals and actions of local businesses through surveys, interviews, and data collection exercises. Identify common themes, priorities, and areas where businesses can align their efforts with city goals.
• Facilitate Partnerships: Facilitate partnerships and collaborations between the city government, businesses, and companies to co-create a holistic strategy for transitioning to net-zero. Encourage joint initiatives, projects, and investments that support shared objectives.
• Provide Support and Incentives: Offer support, incentives, and resources to businesses to help them align their operations with net-zero objectives. This could include fiscal incentives, financial assistance, technical assistance, access to networks, and recognition for sustainable practices.
• Set Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate the city's expectations and requirements for businesses to contribute to the net-zero transition. Establish mechanisms for monitoring and reporting progress on climate targets, and hold businesses accountable for their commitments.
• Promote Innovation: Encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in developing solutions that support the net-zero transition. Foster an ecosystem that enables businesses to explore new technologies, products, and services that contribute to sustainability goals.

Some approaches and resources you can benefit from are listed below.

• World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Net-Zero Carbon Cities initiatives, fostering public private collaboration to bridge the gap across the energy, built environment and transport sectors.
• City-Business Climate Alliance (CBCA) is a platform to convene, set joint commitments, co-create, and implement projects; remove barriers hindering city-business collaboration.
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the SOS 1.5 project (action initiative of the We Mean Business coalition), aiming to support companies from all sectors to stay within the 1.5°C safe operating space and offering resources to do that.
• Info-kit cities participating to the 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 (2021 European Commission) supports EU cities to develop their Climate City Contracts (CCC) and includes a short guide to urban climate neutrality in part 2.
• EU Smart Cities Marketplace is a major market-changing enterprise supported by the European Commission bringing together cities, industries, SMEs, investors, researchers and other smart city actors.It complements current EU efforts such as REPowerEU with a complete catalogue of offers such as calls for free technical assistance, 1-to-1-consultancy services for city-led consortia close to the financing stage, financing masterclasses and a fine-tuned matchmaking for the financing of urban projects and intensified partnerships with other EU initiatives.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

The integration of all the city's action plans and strategies involves aligning various initiatives such as climate action plans, resilience strategies, and urban development plans to ensure coherence and achieve a unified approach to addressing complex urban challenges effectively. This requires coordination across departments to ensure alignment and coherence in efforts. By fostering collaboration and communication, and by harmonising efforts across sectors and stakeholders, cities can break down silos, streamline processes, create synergies, optimise resource allocation, and advance towards sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban development goals.

Resources for integration:

• C40’s Knowledge Hub includes implementation guides, case studies, resources and tools that you can use, such as the C40’s Climate Action Planning (CAP) Guide, providing a step-by-step guide to developing a city-wide climate action plan, or the implementation guide on How to strengthen climate governance for an effective climate action plan outlining interrelated principles, as well as tools and resources, that can help cities strengthen governance for climate action plan implementation.
• UrbanSHIFT project, offering guidance, resources and capacities to cities to adopt integrated approaches to urban development and building an equitable, zero-carbon future where both people and the planet can thrive.
• ICLEI's GreenClimateCities (GCC) program offers process guidance and a framework tailor-made to provide local and regional governments with guidance and support to analyse, act, and accelerate climate action by integrating low emission and climate resilient development into urban development policies, plans, and processes.Additional resources are available in ICLEI’s e-Library.
• Global Resilient Cities Network (GRCN), their urban resilience planning tools, case studies and other material focusing on specific challenges.
• Guiding Principles for City Climate Action Planning (2015, UN Habitat) identify typical steps in the city-level climate action planning process in light of a proposed set of globally applicable principles.
• A System Change Compass for delivering the European Green Deal in a time of recovery (2020, Club of Rome and SYSTEMIQ), report providing a system change compass to support the implementation of the European Green Deal.
• Sector Coupling in Facilitating Integration of Variable Renewable Energy in Cities (2021, IRENA), report profiling sector coupling as a leveller to provide the enhanced flexibility that urban energy systems need and highlighting the key role that an intelligent energy management system plays in a coupled network.
• Info-kit cities participating to the 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 (2021 European Commission) supports EU cities to develop their Climate City Contracts (CCC) and includes a short guide to urban climate neutrality in part 2, which illustrates a compendium of resources and strategies towards climate neutrality at city level, as well as possible pathways concerning both demand and supply side and involving different sectors, while illustrating the cross-cutting benefits of holistic thinking and twin green and digital transition.

Explore these resources to build capacity to plan in a systemic way, to connect data across departments and to visualize the impacts of your policy decisions on your city’s journey to net-zero.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Cities can identify the most relevant actions to achieve net-zero by conducting comprehensive assessments of emissions sources, engaging stakeholders to identify key opportunities, and leveraging data-driven analysis to identify high-impact measures. By focusing on interventions with the greatest potential for emissions reduction and sustainability gains, cities can accelerate progress towards their net-zero targets efficiently and effectively.

Resources for setting priorities:

• Tool for Rapid Assessment of City Energy (TRACE): Helping Cities Use Energy Efficiently helps cities identify underperforming sectors, evaluate cost-saving potential, and prioritise sectors and actions for energy efficiency intervention.
• EIT Climate KIC’s Deep Demonstrations projects, showcasing the model ‘systems innovation as a service’ to Europe’s most ambitious challenge owners, including cities, and providing resources and case studies.
• Climate action for URBan sustainability (CURB) scenario planning tool, uses local city data to provide tailored analyses that help cities evaluate low carbon actions. In case the city has gaps on data, CURB provides alternative data derived from comparable cities, countries or regions.
• Heat Action Platform (Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, Arsht-Rock) is a living, engagement-oriented tool for city officials, practitioners, and financial institutions to find guidance, both existing resources and tailor-made solutions, on reducing the human and economic impacts of extreme heat at the regional or municipal level.
• C40’s Knowledge Hub includes implementation guides, case studies, resources and tools that you can use, such as the C40’s Action Selection and Prioritisation Tool (ASAP) designed to support cities, which have already developed a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and emissions scenarios, to select and prioritise climate actions, through a comparison of benefits and challenges, and the Adaptation and Mitigation Interaction Assessment (AMIA) tool to map synergy potential, trade-offs and mal-investment risks.
• Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program, Community Edition (BenMAP-CE), open-source computer program that calculates the number and economic value of air pollution-related deaths and illnesses. The software incorporates a database that includes many of the concentration-response relationships, population files, and health and economic data needed to quantify these impacts. It can be used by US and Chinese cities.
• Power With Purpose - Driving Change Through Clean Energy Procurement (2023), sharing lessons learned and best practices to ensure that projects are cost-effective while supporting global climate, conservation and community goals (“3C”) based on a national procurement process.

Go explore the resources to build capacity to plan in a systemic way and address the risks of the implementation process.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Modelling tools and scenario development play a crucial role in supporting cities in updating and redefining their climate action plans by providing data-driven insights, assessing potential impacts and evaluating different mitigation and adaptation strategies. By anticipating potential challenges and opportunities, these tools facilitate cities’ long-term thinking and strategic foresight to develop and update long-term climate action strategies.

Moreover digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) can be used by cities to improve their integrated climate action planning by modelling and scenario development, such as by the development of a digital twin for the city.

Resources and tools for visualizing impacts:

• Urban Greenhouse Gas Modeling Tools (2023) help cities and organisations working with cities understand and select from among the tools available, based on their needs.
• CityGML, an open data resource for the storage of urban 3D models, allows cities to create their digital twins, facilitating urban planning, energy modelling, and climate action.
• Envision Tomorrow evaluates the impacts of policies on the environment, greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, air quality, and climate-related variables using AI.
• Climate action for URBan sustainability (CURB) scenario planning tool provides tailored analyses to help cities evaluate low carbon actions, even in the absence of local data.
• Solid Waste Emissions Estimation Tool (SWEET) (2021) quantifies emissions from sources in the municipal solid waste sector, helping cities establish baselines, compare alternative scenarios, and track progress over time.
• C40’s Adaptation and Mitigation Interaction Assessment (AMIA) tool maps synergy potential, trade-offs, and mal-investment risks.
• Carbon pricing captures the external costs of the GHG emissions on the environment, economy and healthcare, shifting the responsibility of the damage and providing an economic signal to the emitters. Cities can put a price on carbon as well. You can read more about that in the Carbon Pricing Dashboard of the World Bank, see how to apply that in a related implementation guide by C40 (2022), assess its potential in the Technical note of the GapFund and join the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition which brings together leaders globally to expand the use of carbon pricing policies.

Engage in the UTMC working group on City-scale Data & Scenarios to facilitate the sharing of experiences, challenges, and solutions towards the common goal of your city becoming net-zero, resilient, and people-centred.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Considering the diverse needs of local stakeholders, including women, youth, people with disabilities, and vulnerable populations, is key for creating a fair and inclusive transition. By ensuring inclusivity and representation, cities can create policies that are more equitable, responsive, and effective in meeting the needs of all residents, fostering social cohesion and sustainable development.

Some examples of participatory governance models for cities are the following

Participatory governance models for cities:

• Participatory Budgeting: Cities such as Porto Alegre in Brazil or Helsinki in Finland have implemented this, allowing residents to directly participate in decision-making processes and allocate public funds to projects that address their priorities.Example of initiatives that can support are Participedia, with examples and resources focused on public participation and democratic innovations, and Participatory budgeting (PB) for US and Canada
• Co-Governance Platforms: Cities like Amsterdam in the Netherlands have established co-governance platforms that bring together government officials, citizens, businesses, and civil society organisations to collaboratively develop and implement policies and projects.
• Urban Labs: Cities such as Valencia in Spain have established urban labs or innovation hubs where stakeholders can experiment with new ideas, technologies, and policies to address urban challenges and drive innovation.Via the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) you can access capacity building and training programmes, resources and material for global application.

Robust tools, methodologies, and resources:

• UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub approach promotes transformative innovations for a low-emission and climate-resilient future, by facilitating solutions that support the climate-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and that address core human needs.
• The World Resources Institute (WRI) Ross Center for Sustainable Cities helps create resilient, inclusive, low-carbon places that are better for people and the planet, aiming to transform the way cities are planned and designed.
• AMARE-EU project focused on concrete, low-cost and easy-to-be-applied solutions to involve and inform citizens and offers a variety of documents, resources and a toolkit to support cities in building resilient communities without leaving no one behind.
• The use of innovative tools such as ‘serious games’ can also enable more creative and open conversations compared to traditional stakeholder engagement methods. As an example, the Sustainable Energy Transition Strategy game was used to gather feedback on local energy strategies in cities across Argentina, Indonesia, and Kenya. Gamification has been tested by cities with locally-adapted games to select the cities priorities, such as Copenhagen (Spillet om Klima, the Climate Game), via collective project like the Board Game Project applied in Paris, or via tools like Climate Fresk , teaching the fundamental science behind climate change and empowering the players to take action.
• Youth engagement in drafting city policy ensures that the perspectives and concerns of younger generations are incorporated into decision-making processes, fostering more inclusive and future-oriented governance. For example, Youth Leadership and Intergenerational Dialogues Impact Hub empowers young people and can provide you expertise on how to mobilise intergenerational action for system change; the Youth Impact Framework, lead by Student Energy, is a tool that allows youth to measure and communicate the impacts of their work with all levels of government and industry leaders, it can also be used by decision-makers to understand the tangible contributions of youth-led work

In this process of co-creation and collaboration with the community, you can make sure to listen to their needs and to move towards a just, equitable and inclusive transition.

Resources and inspiration:

• Urban Innovation Exchange (UIX) is a US initiative to advance the growing movement of people leading change in cities, providing inspiration on how transformative change and innovation can arise from the community.
• World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City (2022, WRI) suggests a new approach to cities, centred on providing equitable access to services, which would improve billions of lives, generate economic prosperity and create environmental benefits for all.
• Daring Cities 2023 Report: A just and equitable climate emergency response, report of the ICLEI’s Daring cities conference 2023, focused on just transition, including findings and good practices from the three cornerstones (Exchange – Disseminate – Advocate).
• Some additional tools can come at hand for your communication, such as the Disability Inclusive Language Guidelines and Achieving the just transition: A toolkit for city leaders across the globe (2023, C40), providing guidance and practical support for cities to create good, green jobs and become more equitable, resilient and sustainable.

See also the resources to engage your community effectively, those on social innovation, and those to explore additional innovative governance models, and those to communicate your strategy and results to different audiences.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Leveraging the expertise, resources, and innovation capabilities of the private sector enables cities to develop comprehensive and effective climate action plans. By fostering collaboration and partnerships with businesses, cities can drive sustainable development, stimulate economic growth, and achieve ambitious climate targets for the benefit of all stakeholders.

See also resources to consider their targets and goals to foster buy-in, collaboration, and shared responsibility in achieving sustainability objectives.

Some approaches and resources you can benefit from are listed below:

• Cities & Regions: Let's Get Started (2023): A guide for local and regional governments offering nine pathways to engage with Doughnut Economic, an economic model helping identify a type of development allowing humanity to thrive in an environmentally safe space while ensuring a socially just world.
• Urban Living Labs: Real-life test and experimentation environments that foster co-creation and open innovation among Citizens, Government, Industry, and Academia (Quadruple Helix Model). Via the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), you can access capacity building and training programmes, resources, and material for global application.
• World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Net-Zero Carbon Cities initiatives: Fostering public-private collaboration to bridge the gap across the energy, built environment, and transport sectors.
• Heat Action Platform: A living, engagement-oriented tool for city officials, practitioners, and financial institutions to find guidance, both existing resources and tailor-made solutions, on reducing the human and economic impacts of extreme heat at the regional or municipal level.
• Info-kit cities participating in the 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 (2021 European Commission): Supports EU cities to develop their Climate City Contracts (CCC) and includes a short guide to urban climate neutrality, illustrating a compendium of resources and strategies towards climate neutrality at the city level.

A city can support local businesses to raise ambition. Some initiatives and resources that can help are listed below:

• City-Business Climate Alliance (CBCA): A platform to convene, set joint commitments, co-create, and implement projects; removing barriers hindering city-business collaboration. The initiative shares expertise, advocacy, and learnings to build city-business partnerships from conception to long term self-sustainment.
• Energy Transitions Commission (ETC): A global coalition of leaders from across the energy landscape committed to achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century. It offers transition roadmaps and tools for the corporate sector.
• Exponential Roadmap initiative: Addresses innovators, transformers, and disruptors taking action in line with 1.5°C, with the mission to halve emissions before 2030 through exponential climate action and solutions. It highlights 36 solutions that can scale exponentially to halve Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2030 worldwide.
• World Green Building Council: A global network of Green Building Councils leading the transformation of the built environment to make it healthier and more sustainable, with case studies and examples in the field.
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the SOS 1.5 project(action initiative of the We Mean Business coalition), aiming to support companies from all sectors to stay within the 1.5°C safe operating space and offering resources to do that.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Innovative governance is crucial because it introduces new elements into public service, leading to improved performance and efficiency. It represents a break from traditional methods, incorporating fresh knowledge, organisational structures, and management skills that transform how public institutions operate. Innovative governance is often enabled by information technology, whose application can lead to significant changes in government operations, such as 24/7 services, flexible working arrangements, and paperless offices, resulting in faster, smarter, and more responsive government services. Reshaping governance by strengthening integrated processes (planning, policy making, budgeting, among others) across sectors and levels, and benefiting from digitalization can enhance the impact, speed, and flexibility of measures implemented to tackle the full-scale transformation of our energy and economic systems that is needed to avert the worst impacts of climate change.

Some examples to provide you with inspiration are the following:

• Mission governance: Progressive administrations around the world, like that in Barbados, are reassessing the capacities and role of government within both the economy and society, prioritizing the restoration of a robust sense of public purpose. This follows the concept of mission-driven governments (2024, UCL IIPP), one of the principles behind the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
• Climate City Contracts: 112 selected cities part of the EU Mission on Smart and Climate Neutral Cities are invited to develop Climate City Contracts (CCC), which include an overall plan for climate neutrality across all sectors such as energy, buildings, waste management, and transport, together with related investment plans. CCCs are co-created with local stakeholders and citizens to leverage shared commitment and closely engage with investors and citizens to deliver on each city’s ambitious climate neutrality objective.
• Artificial Intelligence and Data-Driven Governance: Cities like Singapore and Barcelona have adopted data-driven governance models, leveraging technology and data analytics to improve decision-making, optimize service delivery, and enhance transparency and accountability.
• Multilevel Governance: Many cities have implemented multilevel governance structures that facilitate coordination and collaboration between municipal, regional, and national governments to address shared challenges.You can find examples and resources to act via the Collaborative Climate Action, WRI Multi-Level Governance Atlas, GCoM’s website, such as the Multi-level climate action playbook (2022, GCoM), offering a toolbox providing how to effectively implement that. Go also explore the resources to align the city’s target with the national ones
• New Organisational Models in Cities: Teal organizations, characterized by self-management, wholeness, and evolutionary purpose, are relatively rare within city governments and administrations. However, some cities have implemented aspects of teal principles in specific departments or initiatives, fostering more decentralized decision-making, employee empowerment, and adaptive governance processes.

Additional inspiration and resources to act are provided below:

• The World Economic Forum’s initiative, ‘Beyond GDP’: Can inspire cities to formulate alternative measurements of progress and growth for their communities which can address some of the limitations of traditional GDP measurements.
• UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (UCL IIPP): Brings revived notions of public value and public purpose to the center of political economy and to concrete policy practice, equipping leaders to co-design growth that is innovation-led, sustainable and inclusive.
• Presencing Institute hosted by the MIT: Fosters the transformation of the economy and its key social systems from Ego to Eco, via the Theory U, and provides ways for leaders to develop better visions for the city.
• NetZeroCities’ resources on Governing a Transition to Climate Neutrality: Can provide basic principles of innovative governance in Europe and help cities learn from the experiences of their peers.
• C40’s Climate Action Planning Guide: Provides an overview of best practices related to climate governance.
• Metropolis:, a network of major cities and metropolitan spaces providing leadership and advocacy to build a case for the importance of sound metropolitan governance, as well as tools and insights to make better decisions taking into consideration an intersectional perspective, such as participatory governance, citizens engagement strategies and social resilience.

Go explore also the resources to get inspired to raise your ambition, co-create the city strategy with your citizens and with the local stakeholders.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

“Energy sufficiency” is a concept that aligns energy consumption with the capacity of our environment to sustain it, through the adoption of lifestyles and norms that prioritize conservation and the responsible use of energy. Cities can prioritize reduction of energy consumption through comprehensive energy planning and demand-side management strategies. This involves identifying energy needs accurately, optimizing urban design and land use patterns to reduce energy demand, promoting energy-efficient building codes and standards, and implementing measures such as energy audits and behavior change programs to minimize energy consumption. By prioritizing energy avoidance strategies, cities can reduce their environmental footprint and achieve significant energy savings before considering more efficient energy use.

Some resources and tools you can use are given below:

• A number of tools can help cities estimate their energy usage and thus identify and prioritise sectors for energy efficiency measures. These include Global Covenant of Mayors’ Data Portal for Cities and Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer. More information on making the best use of such data can be found in the Monitor and Report section.
• Cities can also make use of certain urban planning principles to reduce energy needs. Energy Sector Management Assistance Project (ESMAP)’s guidance on Planning Energy Efficient and Livable Cities (2014) can be a good starting point.
• A project on the Systematization of experiences with energy sufficiency initiatives: Laid out the principles and policy options behind the energy sufficiency concept, as well as the ways it can be integrated into energy planning and modeling.
• The European Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy’s Energy Sufficiency portal: Collects information and resources on energy sufficiency, including policy approaches and lessons from cities trying to apply the concept in their territories.
• As an example, the négaWatt Association produces reports and scenarios, and advocates for energy sufficiency in France.

A number of cities across the world are working towards energy sufficiency while simultaneously trying to tackle the issues of energy poverty affecting the most vulnerable parts of their population. A selection of examples and measures implemented by cities in Europe can be found in the publication Measures to tackle energy poverty in cities (2023, Eurocities).

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Energy efficiency policies and measures are critical in cities to reduce energy consumption, particularly in transport and the built environment. Enhanced energy efficiency can be achieved using existing technologies with immediate impacts. For cities, improving energy efficiency can mean retrofitting public buildings with better insulation, supporting citizens in doing the same in residential buildings, implementing smart systems, adopting zero-emissions building codes, and encouraging lower-emissions modes of transport. These measures not only contribute to mitigating climate change but also result in cost savings, among other benefits. Furthermore, such efforts can create jobs in retrofitting and renewable energy sectors locally.

Some resources and tools you can use are given below:

• A number of tools can help cities estimate their energy usage and thus identify and prioritise sectors for energy efficiency measures. These include Global Covenant of Mayors’ Data Portal for Cities and Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer. More information on making the best use of such data can be found in the Monitor and Report section.
• Cities can also make use of certain urban planning principles to reduce energy needs. Energy Sector Management Assistance Project (ESMAP)’s guidance on Planning Energy Efficient and Livable Cities (2014) can be a good starting point.

Given that buildings are a major source of energy consumption in cities, energy efficiency and conservation measures can greatly reduce a city’s energy use as well as associated emissions. A number of initiatives and partnerships exist that focus on buildings specifically:

• The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) is a platform convened by UNEP that supports and ​​advocates for a ‘zero-emission, efficient, and resilient’ buildings and construction sector. They provide a number of resources and guidance related to target-setting, planning, and the sustainable use of materials, among other themes.
• The World Green Building Council (WGBC): A global network dedicated to creating sustainable built environments, working with multiple stakeholders, including businesses and governments, to promote the uptake of sustainable and decarbonized building practices.
• The Zero Carbon Building Accelerator project by WRI project by WRI features a number of policy roadmaps and case studies that showcase how cities can spur the development of zero-carbon buildings in their territories. ALthough the project is over, there are lessons to be learnt for cities in Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Kenya and Turkey.
• For European cities, the Building Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) provides access to information and technical assistance through projects related to a number of building energy performance parameters.
• BUILD UP: A portal to foster knowledge sharing about energy efficiency and renewable energy related to the building and construction sector in Europe.

Please also explore the resources provided on heating and cooling specifically and on the innovative approaches for transport and mobility.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Renewable energy deployment at the city level is an important step towards net-zero. Although energy is not always a direct mandate for local governments, cities can leverage renewable energy sources (RES) technologies in buildings and transport sectors to reduce carbon emissions, limit air pollution, improve land use efficiency, and create green jobs. Many cities have adopted renewable energy targets, as well as adapted their building and transportation plans to increasingly shift to zero-emissions buildings, and work towards zero-emissions fleet and more sustainable public transport.

A selection of robust resources and guidance is given below:

• A number of tools, such as the Global Solar Atlas, the Global Wind Atlas or the Google Environmental Insight Explorer (EIE) provide access to GIS layers with a variety of data relevant to assessing solar and wind power potential. These can be used by cities to estimate the local potential for these energies.
• Electricity Maps: Provides real-time information on the carbon intensity of a country’s electricity mix.
• ICLEI’s 100% Renewables Cities and Regions initiatives can provide cities with tools, frameworks, and case studies of cities undertaking the journey towards 100% renewable energy across all end-use sectors. Of note are the 100% RE Building Blocks (2022, ICLEI) that provide tools on how to conceptualise and plan for a 100% renewable energy roadmap. The 100% Renewables Cities and Regions Roadmap Framework (2021, ICLEI) lays out further guidance on the steps involved in developing a roadmap, based on the experiences of the Roadmap project.
• Clean urban Energy - series knowledge-exchange sessionsfocused on renewable energy technologies and their applications within urban energy systems, co-hosted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) in 2024. The recordings are available in the UTMC Energy group.
• ICLEI’s Energy Exchanges: A series of virtual exchanges providing cities with access to experts and their technical knowledge and experience implementing local sustainable energy solutions.
• Power With Purpose - Driving Change Through Clean Energy Procurement (2023), sharing lessons learned and best practices to ensure that projects are cost-effective while supporting global climate, conservation and community goals (“3C”) based on a national procurement process.
• Beyond the Megawatt - Optimizing Impact of Clean Energy Procurement: Growing Demand for Social and Environmental Outcomes (2023), report with findings to understand the enabling factors to accelerate clean energy deployment at the pace and scale necessary to address the climate crisis without repeating significant injustices of prior energy transitions.

Several organisations provide up-to-date facts, figures, and trend analyses of energy systems at the national and sub-national level. These include:

• International Energy Agency (IEA): provides data on energy balances for most countries, as well as tracking developments across various sectors and renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. Its flagship report is the World Energy Outlook.
• International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) provides relevant research and insights into the global renewable energy picture, including policies, technologies, and finance. Its flagship publication is the World Energy Transitions Outlook.
• REN21 a global renewable energy community of actors from science, governments, NGOs and industry to enable decision-makers to make the shift to renewable energy happen. They provide up-to-date and peer-reviewed facts, figures and analysis of global developments in technology, policies and markets, notably the annual Renewables Global Status Report

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Implementing net-zero heating and cooling strategies for city buildings and districts involves a multi-faceted approach integrating renewable energy, urban planning, and nature-based solutions. This includes transitioning to renewable energy sources such as solar or geothermal, optimising building designs for energy efficiency, promoting district heating and cooling systems, and integrating nature-based solutions like green roofs and urban green spaces to enhance thermal comfort and reduce energy demand. Such comprehensive strategies not only mitigate greenhouse gas emissions but also contribute to creating healthier, more resilient, and sustainable urban environments.

Some guidance on adopting sustainable heating and cooling strategies include the following resources:

• The guidance Beating the Heat: A Sustainable Cooling Handbook for Cities (2021), launched by the Cool Coalition, UNEP, the Rocky Mountain Institute, GCoM, Mission Innovation, and the Clean Cooling Collaborative, provides a number of policy and technology solutions, as well as case studies, that highlight how cities globally can and have been tackling the cooling challenge. The variety of options presented allows cities to adapt the solutions to their own context.
• Mission Innovation’s Innovation Community on Affordable Heating and Cooling of Buildings (IC7) seeks to foster collaboration amongst various stakeholders and strengthen the clean energy innovation ecosystem, with a particular focus on heating and cooling. IC7 offers a number of resources, as outlined in the MI Heating Cooling Wiki.
• The Cool Coalition is a global multi-stakeholder network that brings together multiple stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange, and to jointly advocate for a transition to efficient and climate-friendly cooling. They provide a number of tools and resources featuring solutions to cooling, including space cooling, cold chains, and energy efficiency.
• UNEP’s District Energy in Cities InitiativeInitiative is a multi-stakeholder partnership aiming to double the rate of energy efficiency improvements for heating and cooling in buildings by 2030. It works with local and national governments to build know-how and implement enabling policies that will accelerate investment in low-carbon and climate-resilient district energy systems. It does so across four pilot and ten replication countries. It has also produced a number of resources related to district energy.
• For European cities, associations such as Euroheat & Power bring together various actors across the sustainable district heating and cooling value chain, and also provide access to research and capacity building resources.

Go explore the resources supporting you to tackle climate resilience in the city, including examples of Nature-based Solution.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Climate adaptation and resilience are vital components of a city's journey towards achieving a net-zero, resilient, and people-centred urban transition. Planning for adaptation measures ensures that cities can withstand the impacts of climate change while minimising vulnerabilities and safeguarding the well-being of their residents. By integrating adaptation strategies into urban planning processes, cities can create sustainable and liveable environments that thrive in the face of climate challenges. In this context, for example, Nature-based solutions (NbS) play a critical role in enhancing the climate adaptation and resilience of cities by providing multiple benefits such as flood protection, temperature regulation, and biodiversity conservation.

Some initiatives you can join and follow are listed below:

• Cities Race to Resilience (RtR), part of the UNFCCC Race to Resilience focusing on cities, aiming at prioritising resilience and implementing inclusive and resilient climate action.
• Global Resilient Cities Network (GRCN) their urban resilience planning tools, such as the City Resilience Framework (2015), case studies and other material focusing on specific challenges.
• ICLEI’s Daring cities conference, action-oriented initiative to recognize and empower courageous urban leaders – including mayors and other decision-makers, technical staff, researchers, private sector representatives, and community organisers – to disrupt business-as-usual and shift towards business-as-possible.
• EU Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change focuses on supporting EU regions, cities and local authorities in their efforts to build resilience against the impacts of climate change. It contributes to putting the EU’s adaptation strategy in practice and help deliver the European Green Deal./li>
• EU Covenant of Mayors adaptation facility supports signatories in their efforts to plan, implement and monitor adaptation actions – by providing methodological guidance, capacity building activities, knowledge resources and opportunities for collaboration.

You can get inspired and explore further resources on the pages of the initiatives below.

• CAPRA (Probabilistic Risk Assessment) Platform is providing multiple softwares that can be useful for cities to assess how to analyse and integrate disaster risk data into their climate action plans.
• Resilient Settlements for the Urban Poor (RISE-UP), flagship programme leveraging large scale investment to build urban adaptation and climate resilience in the global hotspots of vulnerability. Issues of poverty, spatial inequality and resilient settlements are tackled at the same time
• Urban Adaptation Support Tool (UAST) aims to assist cities, towns and other local authorities in Europe in developing, implementing and monitoring climate change adaptation plans. It outlines all the steps needed to develop and implement an adaptation strategy and makes references to valuable guidance materials and tools.
• International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI) is an engineering-led coalition to make resilience and sustainability a cornerstone of every decision in the infrastructure lifecycle in every community around the globe, working with engineers, cities, investors, academics, NGOs and businesses to act on adaptation, resilience and mitigation measures.
• Nature Conservancy aims at conserving the lands and waters, addressing biodiversity and the climate crisis, and works with cities to develop and implement nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. They focus on projects like restoring coastal habitats to buffer against storm surges and floods. You can get inspired by their collection of insights, reports, data and tools, including Bold Pathways to 2030 (2023)
• AMARE-EU project focused on concrete, low-cost and easy-to-be-applied solutions to involve and inform citizens and offers a variety of documents, resources and a toolkit to support cities in building resilient communities without leaving behind those who could be at high risk of exclusion and who, in case of a disaster, could be exposed to severe consequences caused by a lack of knowledge, awareness and therefore preparedness.

Some good readings to get inspired by successful policies and case studies:

• Resilient cities, thriving cities: The evolution of urban resilience (2019, ICLEI) report providing an overview about climate resilience in cities and some good examples to get inspired on Nature-based Solutions, circular economy and sustainable development
• Reimagining the global economy: Building back better in a post-COVID-19 world (2020) a collection of 12 essays presenting new ideas to guide policies and shape debates in a post-COVID-19 world. This includes the essay “Leadership at the local level: How can cities drive a sustainable recovery?”
• Guide on Connecting Green Recovery and Resilience in Cities (2022), designed by the Resilient Cities Action Package 2021 (ReCAP21) to provide local governments with the practical support to identify comprehensive solutions to achieving more resilient societies, particularly focused on Rwanda, Bangladesh, and Mauritania.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Transport and mobility play a crucial role in city climate action. Cities should prioritize reducing transport emissions as they typically have oversight over transport and urban planning, as well as transport companies in some cases. The transportation sector is often one of the highest contributors to a city’s greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, owing to the high use of fossil fuels for road transport. Shifting demand towards electric mobility, reducing vehicle ownership, and improving public transport systems can all contribute. An efficient transportation system can not only serve diverse communities effectively, but can also lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

There are a number of initiatives and resources available that provide guidance on the actions cities can take to improve their transport sector emissions and energy consumption:

• The SLOCAT Partnershipis an international multi-stakeholder partnership powering sustainable transformation and a just transition towards equitable, healthy, green and resilient transport and mobility systems for the people and the planet. Slocat delivers its mission through co-creation, co-leadership, and co-delivery across knowledge, advocacy and dialogue activities and the interaction between transport and climate change.
• The World Economic Forum’s Global New Mobility Coalition provides a number of resources and initiatives to address mobility challenges, including emissions, congestion, and quality of life.
• The Transforming Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI): Features work streams on urban transport, including electric mobility, transport data, and e-buses.
• The EcoLogistics Initiative tackles the issue of sustainable urban freight, as the increasing transport of goods within urban areas presents several challenges, including increased emissions, air pollution, and congestion. Of note is the > for interested practitioners, as well as the > that provides peer exchange opportunities.
• Initiatives such as TheClimateGroup’s EV100 are geared toward private sector commitments to shift their fleets towards e-mobility. Cities can partner with such organisations or encourage their local companies to commit to such targets.
• Sustainable Mobility For All (SuM4All) is an initiative that advocates for a shift towards sustainable mobility, putting forth a vision of mobility that is green, universally accessible, safe, and efficient. It also produces research on policies that address these four aspects of mobility.

For further knowledge and information on mobility solutions, you may find plenty of useful resources from organisations and think tanks.

• The International Transport Forum (ITF) of the OECD features relevant analysis on transport. Of note is its Decarbonizing Transport Initiative.
• The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) provides valuable insights from global case studies.
• The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) also features several research reports, as well as a training academy geared towards public transport practitioners.
• The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) featuring publications and knowledge products such as on the Vehicle-to Grid technology (2023, IRENA)

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Incorporating waste management and circular economy principles into the climate strategy of a city is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing resource consumption, and promoting sustainable practices. By implementing strategies such as waste reduction, recycling, and reuse, cities can mitigate environmental impact, enhance resilience to climate change, and create economic opportunities while advancing towards a low-carbon future.

Some initiatives you can refer to, as well as resources and tools you can use are selected below:

• ICLEI Circulars facilitates circular economy practices for sustainable cities, to find circular solutions for locally specific challenges. Explore all Regional Hubs, and key publications such as the Circular City Actions Framework (2021) that unpacks what the circular economy concept means at the local level, to help cities on their circular journeys, or the Food Systems Handbook for city practitioners (2021), providing local governments with concrete tools their peers are using to facilitate the transition to circular food systems, from stakeholder engagement to designing effective policies.
• Ellen MacArthur FoundationEllen MacArthur Foundation, aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, and provides a variety of resources (from principles to tools and case studies, to a podcast) to mobilise systems solutions at scale globally. For example Delivering the circular economy: a toolkit for policymakers (2015), an actionable toolkit for policymakers who wish to embark on a circular economy transformation. It identifies eight key insights, details policy options, opportunities and barriers, and demonstrates how the tools may be applied in a pilot study of Denmark.
• Circle Economy Foundation, providing a knowledge hub, resources and tools to empower decision-makers from the public and private sectors to develop and implement circular economy strategies and business models.
• Toolbox of solutions, of the WEF’s Net-Zero Carbon Cities initiative, an open online database contains best practices and case studies for urban decarbonization across the energy, built environment, mobility and water & waste management systems
• Urban Metabolismis a framework which can help measure their resource flows from consumption to waste, therefore assessing the energy efficiency, material recycling, waste management, and infrastructure of the urban system. It helps cities and city regions assess current resource use and identify pathways for improvement via infrastructure or planning interventions. You can get material and resources via the Metabolism of cities, non-profit organisation based in Brussels that collaborates on systematically improving the sustainability of cities, by creating and sharing urban metabolism knowledge and accelerating its implementation in policy and practice. Among these, for example, the PlatformU, digital tool inspired by the Theory U and aiming to help industrial areas and development zones to shift their practices to be as resource efficient as possible.
• Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP)is a multi-stakeholder platform of the World Economic Forum (WEF) dedicated to translating commitments to reduce plastic pollution and waste into concrete action. The website also provides you with tools and resources.
• Zero Waste Cities, a European movement from Zero Waste Europe to increase the effort to phase out waste, creating and implementing systems that do not generate waste in the first place. Both websites provide you also with best practices, examples and resources that are both useful in Europe and globally.

Some tools are available to identify the best policies and measures to manage and reduce waste. Some examples are given below.

• OrganEcs: A Cost Estimating Tool for Managing Source-Separated Organic Waste (2016), tool designed to provide planning assistance to local governments, waste professionals, policymakers, facility operators and projects developers, by helping them make financial decisions about their potential organic waste management projects.
• Solid Waste Emissions Estimation Tool (SWEET)(2021), tool that quantifies emissions of methane, black carbon, and other pollutants from sources in the municipal solid waste sector. Cities can use this information for multiple purposes, including: Establishing a baseline scenario; comparing as many as four alternative scenarios; analysing specific policies or projects for potential emissions reductions; estimating the contribution of activities in the waste sector to overall city emissions reduction goals; and tracking progress over time
• Waste Reduction Model (WARM)(2023) provides high-level comparisons of potential greenhouse gas emissions reductions, energy savings, and economic impacts when considering different materials management practices.

You can also promote the creation of neighboring sharing practices via apps and digital communities like Olio or Nebenan, fostering local sharing and community building practices, and foster innovative technologies and solutions in the private sector, such as Carbon upcycling, using waste and CO2 to create superior materials to support the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries.

Go explore the resources suggested to increase the climate resilience of your city.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Mainstreaming climate considerations in the city's financial governance is a crucial step for both the long term financial sustainability and short term implementation of climate action. Via climate budgeting, targets from the city’s climate action plan are integrated into financial decision-making. By scoping out resources, assigning responsibility for implementation, monitoring, and reporting across the city government, the financial department’s involvement in climate policy ensures that climate considerations are taken up holistically across city departments and operations.

Some initiatives that can help your city are listed below:

• The Taskforce on Climate Related Financial disclosures (TCFD) released recommendations designed to help companies provide better information to support market transparency and more informed capital allocation. The recommendations, widely taken up in the private sector, are useful instruments to design city budgets and investment plans aligned with the city’s climate policy. Some cities in Canada have been piloting that approach in the last few years.
• ICLEI has piloted an approach to manage natural resources inside the city alongside financial ones; the approach, called ecoBudget, was piloted in European and Asian cities and has resulted in huge success.
• Climate budgeting has attracted international attention as a means to drive the short-term implementation of actions to deliver medium- and long-term climate targets. Led by the City of Oslo, which first pioneered this approach in 2017, cities are working to develop ways to replicate and adapt climate budgeting to their own contexts. You can find more resources on climate budgeting coming from the C40 Knowledge Hub.

Via UTMC, the Finance & Funding Helpdesk offers support to UTM cities in offering information along stages of financing. The Helpdesk actively scans for financing and funding opportunities tailored to the needs of UTM cities, and can support them to:

• Signpost project preparation facilities (PPFs), financing and funding programs
• Answer queries related to specific financing and funding programs
• Proactively get in touch with financing and funding institutions in relation with specific projects developed by UTM cities
• Support UTM cities in accessing and leveraging the benefits of the Transformative Action Program (TAP) project preparation facility leaded by ICLEI
• Collect feedback on capacity building and support needs related to climate finance

Helpdesk activities are based on day-to-day interaction and queries started by UTM cities via the platform or via email at utm-finance@globalcovenantofmayors.org.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Having an investment plan and conducting an assessment on the city budget are critical steps for cities to effectively reach net-zero emissions with the actions outlined in their climate action plan. These assessments enable cities to identify existing capabilities and gaps, potential external funding sources to be acquired, prioritise projects, and allocate resources efficiently, ensuring the feasibility and viability of their climate investment portfolio.

By securing financial commitments and optimizing investments, cities can accelerate the transition to net-zero while maximizing the impact of their climate actions.

Some initiatives that can help your city are listed below:

• Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) provides research, analysis, and tools for cities on financing climate mitigation and adaptation projects. Among them, the Climate Finance Tracking, includes data on on climate finance flows at global, national, and sector levels and can provide an idea of what is the status of climate finance at the global level
• C40’s Knowledge Hub includes implementation guides, case studies, resources and tools on a variety of finance-related topics, such as the Adaptation and Mitigation Interaction Assessment (AMIA) tool to map synergy potential, trade-offs and mal-investment risks, or the implementation guide on How to disclose your city’s climate-related financial risks
• ICLEI’s TAP Resource Center includes tools, publications and training materials relevant to project preparation. The TAP increases the visibility of local governments’ sustainable urban infrastructure projects, connects them to potential investors and project preparation facilities, as well as supports their project preparation through custom-made feedback, tools and services.
• Green City Finance Directory is a resource to help subnational governments and stakeholders identify project preparation facilities that can support them in developing green and resilient infrastructure, including implementing more efficient heating and cooling systems, building renewable energy, setting up sustainable transit, or climate-proofing resilient infrastructure.

Via UTMC, the Finance & Funding Helpdesk offers support to UTM cities in offering information along stages of financing. The Helpdesk actively scans for financing and funding opportunities tailored to the needs of UTM cities, and can support them to:

• Signpost project preparation facilities (PPFs), financing and funding programs
• Answer queries related to specific financing and funding programs
• Proactively get in touch with financing and funding institutions in relation with specific projects developed by UTM cities
• Support UTM cities in accessing and leveraging the benefits of the Transformative Action Program (TAP) project preparation facility leaded by ICLEI
• Collect feedback on capacity building and support needs related to climate finance

Helpdesk activities are based on day-to-day interaction and queries started by UTM cities via the platform or via email at utm-finance@globalcovenantofmayors.org.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Performing a technical pre-feasibility assessment of the actions in a city’s plan is essential to ensure the viability and effectiveness of climate initiatives from both technical and financial perspectives. By assessing technical feasibility, potential risks, resource requirements, and associated upfront costs, cities can identify and address challenges early in the planning process, optimise project design, and enhance financial sustainability. This assessment enables cities to make informed decisions, prioritise actions, secure funding, and maximise the impact of their efforts towards achieving net-zero emissions.

Some resources that can help you in doing this are listed below.

• Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA), multi-level and multi-stakeholder coalition aimed at closing the investment gap for urban subnational climate projects and infrastructure, aiming at deploying finance for city level climate action at scale by 2030. The CCFLA Project Preparation Resource Directory helps subnational governments and stakeholders identify project preparation facilities that can support them in developing green and resilient infrastructure, including implementing more efficient heating and cooling systems, building renewable energy, setting up sustainable transit, or climate-proofing resilient infrastructure.
• City Climate Finance Gap Fund helps cities in developing and emerging countries realise their climate ambitions, turning low-carbon, climate-resilient ideas into strategies and finance-ready projects. It supports cities and local governments in preparing and prioritising climate-smart plans and investments with the goal of attracting more financing and support for implementation.
• ICLEI’s Transformative Action Programme (TAP) is a global initiative to support local and regional governments transform their net-zero and resilient development infrastructure concepts into mature, robust and bankable projects ready for financing and implementation. Projects are mobilised through annual calls and screened by experts in sustainable finance. Those with great potential for impact can receive personalised feedback and, once considered investment-ready, are connected to project preparation facilities and financial partners that will support their implementation.

Via UTMC, the Finance & Funding Helpdesk offers support to UTM cities in offering information along stages of financing. The Helpdesk actively scans for financing and funding opportunities tailored to the needs of UTM cities, and can support them to:

• Signpost project preparation facilities (PPFs), financing and funding programs
• Answer queries related to specific financing and funding programs
• Proactively get in touch with financing and funding institutions in relation with specific projects developed by UTM cities
• Support UTM cities in accessing and leveraging the benefits of the Transformative Action Program (TAP) project preparation facility leaded by ICLEI
• Collect feedback on capacity building and support needs related to climate finance

Helpdesk activities are based on day-to-day interaction and queries started by UTM cities via the platform or via email at utm-finance@globalcovenantofmayors.org.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Identifying funding and finance for all actions outlined in a city plan is paramount to ensure the successful implementation of climate initiatives. By securing adequate funding sources and financial mechanisms, cities can effectively support the execution of their plans, address resource constraints, and accelerate progress towards achieving net-zero emissions. This proactive approach enables cities to mobilise resources, attract investments, and unlock opportunities for sustainable development, fostering resilience and prosperity for their communities.

Some resources that can help you in doing this are listed below.

• To ensure bankability, an important step is considering internal financial constraints, as well as leveraging on own resources and revenues; this will help ensure financial sustainability of the action, as well as increase the creditworthiness of the city towards financing institutions. The insight report Rethinking City Revenue and Finance (2022, WEF, PwC) investigates key aspects of that journey.
• ICLEI’s Transformative Action Programme (TAP) is a global initiative to support local and regional governments transform their net-zero and resilient development infrastructure concepts into mature, robust and bankable projects ready for financing and implementation. Projects are mobilised through annual calls and screened by experts in sustainable finance. Those with great potential for impact can receive personalised feedback and, once considered investment-ready, are connected to project preparation facilities and financial partners that will support their implementation.
• The World Economic Forum (WEF) and UN-Habitat’s Global Partnership for Local Investment aims at unlocking critical investments in local communities through public-private collaboration, showcasing case studies of successful experiences. It proves a platform for city leaders, business leaders and other stakeholders to coordinate efforts, commit expertise and mobilise action in support of cities and urban economies.
• Blended finance solutions might be indispensable allies for securing implementation and scalability of a project. Blended finance is the strategic use of development finance for the mobilisation of additional commercial finance towards your project. Check out the OECD Factsheet Bridging the Sustainable Development Finance Gap on blended finance for the SDGs.

Specifically for R&I funding, the MI Call series are focused on urban challenges and managed by the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership, MI Calls establish international calls for research funding in the areas of climate neutral cities. They raise funding for transnational research and innovation projects addressing urban challenges to help cities in their transition towards climate neutrality and sustainability. The call launches every year and covers challenges along three Transition Pathways: Positive Energy Districts (PED), the 15-Minute City (15mC) and Circular Urban Economies (CUE).

Via UTMC, the Finance & Funding Helpdesk offers support to UTM cities in offering information along stages of financing. The Helpdesk actively scans for financing and funding opportunities tailored to the needs of UTM cities, and can support them to:

• Signpost project preparation facilities (PPFs), financing and funding programs
• Answer queries related to specific financing and funding programs
• Proactively get in touch with financing and funding institutions in relation with specific projects developed by UTM cities
• Support UTM cities in accessing and leveraging the benefits of the Transformative Action Program (TAP) project preparation facility leaded by ICLEI
• Collect feedback on capacity building and support needs related to climate finance

Helpdesk activities are based on day-to-day interaction and queries started by UTM cities via the platform or via email at utm-finance@globalcovenantofmayors.org.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Cities worldwide lack adequate finance for their climate-related goals; in particular, resilience and adaptation-related projects, while on the rise, are still substantially underfunded. Cities need robust financial strategies, including exploring insurance options, to fund climate resilience and adaptation efforts effectively. By allocating sufficient resources, leveraging partnerships, and integrating insurance mechanisms, cities can build resilience against climate risks, ensuring sustainable urban development and mitigating potential financial losses from extreme weather events.

Some resources for you are selected below.

• Resilient Community Impact Funds (RCIFunds) provide cities with the connections and resources to secure that resilient future. The RCIFunds platform is the first of its kind to focus on building holistic, equitable resilience that generates measurable reductions in vulnerability around the world.
• Resilient Settlements for the Urban Poor (RISE-UP), flagship programme leveraging large scale investment to build urban adaptation and climate resilience in the global hotspots of vulnerability. Issues of poverty, spatial inequality and resilient settlements are tackled at the same time
• Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems (WEF) provides an independent and impartial platform to design a more sustainable, resilient, trusted, and accessible financial system that reinforces long-term value creation and economic growth.
• The Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA) and its partners have developed the foundational concepts and frameworks to support its members as they work towards decarbonising their insurance and reinsurance underwriting portfolios.
• Resilient community impact Funds of the Global Resilient Cities Network (GRCN), prioritise resilience projects. Funding can support project preparation, innovative pilots and small to medium scale projects. It can also act to further leverage and layer funding on the ground for larger projects from key financing and grant making stakeholders.

Via UTMC, the Finance & Funding Helpdesk offers support to UTM cities in offering information along stages of financing. The Helpdesk actively scans for financing and funding opportunities tailored to the needs of UTM cities and can support them to:

• Signpost project preparation facilities (PPFs), financing and funding programs
• Answer queries related to specific financing and funding programs
• Proactively get in touch with financing and funding institutions in relation with specific projects developed by UTM cities
• Support UTM cities in accessing and leveraging the benefits of the Transformative Action Program (TAP) project preparation facility leaded by ICLEI
• Collect feedback on capacity building and support needs related to climate finance

Helpdesk activities are based on day-to-day interaction and queries started by UTM cities via the platform or via email at utm-finance@globalcovenantofmayors.org.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Social innovation refers to the creation and implementation of new ideas, products, services, or processes that address social challenges and improve the well-being of individuals and communities. These innovations can be implemented in a variety of sectors, such as healthcare, education, housing, and the environment, and can take many forms, such as new policies, programs, and organisations. Social innovation aims to create sustainable solutions that address social needs and create positive social impact, and often involves collaboration and partnership across different sectors and stakeholders. The goal of social innovation is to create new, more effective and efficient ways to meet social needs, and to improve the quality of life of individuals, communities, and societies.

Some resources and inspiration for you are listed below:

• Cities & Regions: Let's Get Started (2023, DEAL): A guide for local and regional governments offering nine pathways to engage with Doughnut Economic, an economic model helping identify a type of development allowing humanity to thrive in an environmentally safe space while ensuring a socially just world.
• Urban Living Labs are real-life test and experimentation environments that foster co-creation and open innovation among Citizens, Government, Industry, Academia (Quadruple Helix Model). Via the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) you can access capacity building and training programmes, resources and material for global application.
• Smart Cities for All (SC4All): A collaborative initiative that works to ensure that smart city technologies are inclusive and accessible to all citizens, including those with disabilities. As part of its work, SC4A analyses regulatory barriers to accessibility and advocates for policy changes to promote inclusivity. You can access resources and tools to develop smart city solutions in an inclusive way, such as the G3ict’s Smart cities for all toolkit (available in different languages).
• Cities for Digital Rights: An initiative led by cities like Amsterdam and Barcelona, aiming to develop guidelines and best practices for protecting digital rights at the municipal level, including analyzing existing regulations and proposing reforms where needed.
• Open Government Partnership (OGP)fosters the co-creation of action plans and commitments by a broad partnership that includes members at the national and local level and thousands of civil society organisations. The website offers practical resources and approaches for strengthening open government reforms, helping ensure that civil society organisations or direct citizen engagement has a role in shaping and overseeing governments.

Additional tips that you can apply in your strategy development and implementation.

• Multilingual outreach materials: Ensure information about community engagement activities is available in multiple languages spoken in your city.
• Accessible venues: Hold meetings in locations that are accessible for people with disabilities.
• Culturally sensitive communication: Be mindful of cultural differences and adapt communication styles to ensure everyone feels comfortable participating.
• Utilise diverse communication channels: Don't rely solely on traditional methods like public meetings. Explore social media, online surveys, and community events to reach a wider audience.
• Partner with community organisations: Work with trusted organisations that have strong relationships with diverse populations within the city.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Cities can draw inspiration from others and identify the best available solutions by actively engaging in knowledge-sharing networks, attending conferences, and participating in peer-learning programs. By leveraging digital platforms and resources, cities can learn from successful experiences worldwide, adapt proven strategies to their local context, and share their own innovative solutions to contribute to a global exchange of best practices in sustainable urban development and resilience. By sharing their own successful solutions and experiences, cities can contribute to collective learning, foster innovation, and accelerate progress towards sustainable urban development and resilience on a global scale.

Here are some websites where cities can access robust guidance, inspiration, capacity building opportunities and successful examples across the themes of urban transformation towards net-zero, people-centred and resilient cities:

• Urban Transitions Mission Centre’s platform (you are in the right place!) and the NetZeroCities platform (for European cities)
• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM),largest global alliance for city climate leadership across the globe
• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, global network working with more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development, offering resources via the ICLEI’s Virtual Library, and the websites of the regional and country offices.
• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities that are united in action to confront the climate crisis, offering a knowledge hub designed for city practitioners, policymakers and anyone interested in climate solutions.
• United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), offering access to case studies, data and resources aimed at promoting socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities.
• Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA), sharing case studies to accelerate deep carbon reduction activity in cities
• World Research Institute (WRI) working globally and in focus countries to meet people’s essential needs; to protect and restore nature; and to stabilise the climate and build more resilient communities using research-based approaches.
• Climate & Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), sharing resources and stories to mobilise knowledge, capacity and leadership in the global South to improve the well-being of the most climate-affected people
• Climate Outreach, with solutions on effective communication and community engagement on climate-related topics, aiding cities to explore narratives, storytelling and images of climate change that are adapted to local contexts and different audiences. You can find inspiring guidelines and useful material (such as climate visuals) to communicate to and work with the community and foster their engagement.
• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) on solutions to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resources, and fair economies.
• Project Drawdown, offering a collection of climate solutions to help the world “drawdown”— the point in the future when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline, thereby stopping catastrophic climate change — as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible.
• Oxford Net Zero sharing principles and policies, practical tools, and progress tracking to help businesses and policymakers achieve net zero emissions

Specific resources can also be found in sectoral or thematic initiatives (see the relevant questions in the Development and Implementation steps of the GCoM journey).

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

The engagement in the community, business sector and local stakeholders in action implementation is key for the success of the net-zero strategy. By building strong partnerships, offering support, and creating a business-friendly environment for sustainability initiatives, cities can effectively integrate the targets of local businesses into their climate action plans. This collaborative approach fosters a holistic strategy where everyone works together to achieve a net-zero future.

Here are some approaches a city can apply to include and engage local policy makers across sectors, community initiatives and local business in their climate action plan. Collaboration and Incentives:

• Climate Action Task Force: Establish a task force with representatives from city government, local businesses, NGOs, and academic institutions. This group can work together to develop a comprehensive net-zero plan, share best practices, and identify areas for collaboration.
• Business Sustainability Awards: Recognise and reward businesses that set ambitious emissions reduction targets and implement innovative sustainability practices. This incentivizes businesses to participate and showcase leadership.
• Financial Incentives and Technical Assistance: Offer financial incentives like tax breaks or grants to businesses that invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency upgrades, and sustainable practices. Additionally, provide technical assistance to help businesses develop and implement their own climate action plans.

Transparency and Data Sharing:

• Citywide Emissions Inventory: Create a comprehensive inventory of greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors, including businesses. This transparency allows for targeted approaches and identifies areas for collaboration.
• Benchmarking and Knowledge Sharing: Facilitate knowledge sharing among businesses by establishing a platform for companies to share best practices and emissions reduction strategies.

Regulatory Framework and procurement:

• Green Building Codes: Implement stricter building codes that promote energy efficiency and sustainable construction practices for new buildings and renovations.
• Clean Energy Infrastructure and services: Invest in renewable energy infrastructure like solar panels and wind farms to provide businesses with cleaner power options; proactively seek to procure sustainable options for public buildings and services.
• Sustainable Transportation Options: Invest in public transportation, cycling infrastructure, and electric vehicle charging stations and engage with businesses to encourage their employees to adopt cleaner commuting options.

Engagement and Communication:

• Business Sustainability Forums: Organise regular forums and workshops where businesses can learn about the city's climate goals, discuss challenges and opportunities, and collaborate on solutions.
• Public Awareness Campaigns: Run public awareness campaigns that highlight the benefits of a sustainable economy and encourage residents to support businesses committed to climate action.

Further tips for successful collaboration:

• Focus on solutions, not mandates: Frame the conversation around collaborative problem-solving and achieving shared goals for a sustainable future.
• Targeted outreach: Cater outreach efforts to different industry sectors. Tailor incentives and support to the specific needs and challenges faced by various businesses.
• Celebrate progress: Regularly acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of businesses in meeting their emissions reduction targets.

Some resources and inspiration for you:

• Cities & Regions: Let's Get Started (2023, DEAL), a guide for local and regional governments offering nine pathways to engage with Doughnut Economic, an economic model helping identify a type of development allowing humanity to thrive in an environmentally safe space while ensuring a socially just world.
• Shaping the Future of Urban Transformation by the World Economic Forum (WEF)is a multistakeholder and cross-industry platform by the World Economic Forum (WEF) that enables building new coalitions and delivering cutting-edge insights required for a sustainable, secure and just energy future globally and locally.
• UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub aims to promote transformative innovations for a low-emission and climate-resilient future, by facilitating solutions that support the climate-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and that address core human needs for food, shelter, mobility, and access via alternative value chains aligned with those SDGs. UTM cities are testing this approach, and an online hub with inspiring solutions will be available online over the course of 2025.
• City Sprints by the World Economic Forum by the World Economic Forum are a series of guided workshops engaging business, government, and civil society leaders - from energy, transport and built environment sectors - to catalyse decarbonization initiatives through energy efficiency, clean electrification and resource circularity. City Sprints are intended to help to jumpstart local net zero planning and action by creating a coalition of local public and private sector stakeholders to implement projects together.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Cities can foster collaboration with research institutions, academia, and innovators to leverage their expertise and turn the city into a fertile test bed for innovation. By partnering with these stakeholders, cities can pilot and implement cutting-edge technologies, solutions, and policies to address urban challenges, drive sustainability, and improve quality of life for residents. This collaboration enables cities to tap into a wealth of knowledge, accelerate innovation, and create more resilient and liveable urban environments.

The Urban Transitions Mission has launched several Research Clusters, opening the invitation to academics, researchers, universities, and think tanks to engage with the UTM city cohort in the co-creation of innovative solutions using localised science, data, and other insights. Share this news with those you work with!

You can contribute to shaping the Research and Innovation agenda globally thanks to the following initiatives:

• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) flagship initiative Innovate4Cities (I4C, which identifies and tackles the data, information, and technology gaps that cities and local governments are prioritising on their climate action journey. I4C encourages partners and cities to feed two key global city R&I frameworks addressing research gaps in urban areas: the Global Research Action Agenda (GRAA) which details the research, policy, public discussions, recommendations and research gaps, and the City Research and Innovation Agenda (CRIA), which seeks to fill local-level knowledge, information, and technology gaps at every stage of the city climate action journey, highlighting today’s critical urban climate needs, outlining the necessary cross-sector partnerships and actions for successful delivery, and charting pathways to drive action implementation.
• Driving Urban Transitions Partnership (DUT), an initiative which is closely informed by the EU Research and Innovation agenda, and aims to support urban actors in developing skills and tools to make urban change happen and boost the urgently needed urban transformations towards a sustainable future. The DUT partners work on a European R&I strategy, implement joint calls (MI Call series): these raise funding for transnational research and innovation projects addressing urban challenges to help cities in their transition towards climate neutrality and sustainability. The call launches every year and covers challenges along three Transition Pathways: Positive Energy Districts (PED), the 15-Minute City (15mC) and Circular Urban Economies (CUE).
• World Research Institute (WRI) working globally and in focus countries to meet people’s essential needs; to protect and restore nature; and to stabilise the climate and build more resilient communities using research-based approaches.

In order to foster dialogue and collaboration, you can get resources and inspiration below.

• Urban Living Labs are real-life test and experimentation environments that foster co-creation and open innovation among Citizens, Government, Industry, Academia (Quadruple Helix Model). Via the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) you can access capacity building and training programmes, resources and material for global application.
• United Nations Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities (UNITAC Hamburg), including case studies and knowledge hub on the use of innovation, prototyping and applied research methodologies to develop innovative solutions that accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Startup in residence (Netherlands and San Francisco), initiatives born to connect startups with government agencies to co-create solutions addressing civic challenges. Participating cities provide funding and mentorship to startups, fostering innovation and improving public services.

If you didn't find what you are looking for, please take a look into the UTMC Knowledge Repository .

Incorporating digital transformation into the net-zero strategy of a city entails utilising technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and data analytics to optimise energy usage, transportation systems, and urban infrastructure. By integrating digital solutions, cities can enhance efficiency, monitor emissions, and enable smarter decision-making, accelerating progress towards net-zero emissions while fostering innovation and resilience in urban development.

While doing that, you need to be aware of and address the risks and challenges derived from the widespread use of digitalization. This requires for example implementing robust cybersecurity measures, ensuring data privacy, and promoting digital literacy among residents to mitigate potential vulnerabilities and safeguard against cyber threats.

Some resources and guidance for you on digitalisation are given below:

• G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance (hosted by the World Economic Forum, WEF) fosters the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies, establishing and advancing global policy norms to help accelerate best practices, mitigate potential risks, and foster greater openness and public trust. It offers a network of peer-learning, resources (including a Smart Cities Policy Benchmarking Tool to improve smart cities governance policies) and a Global Policy Roadmap identifying the model policies for successful, ethical smart cities.
• Future Ready Cities program (Global Resilient Cities Network), aiming at identifying challenges and co-create transformative digital economy solutions to support the development of future-ready resilient cities, and showcasing best practices and solutions on that.
• Smart Cities for All (SC4All)is a collaborative initiative that works to ensure that smart city technologies are inclusive and accessible to all citizens, including those with disabilities. As part of its work, SC4All analyses regulatory barriers to accessibility and advocates for policy changes to promote inclusivity. You can access resources and tools to develop smart city solutions in an inclusive way, such as the G3ict’s Smart cities for all toolkit (available in different languages).
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)for the digital transformation for people-centred cities, providing guidance and capacity-building initiatives for cities to navigate the challenges and opportunities of digitalization, focusing on building digital infrastructure, fostering digital literacy, and ensuring cybersecurity measures.
• Digital with Purpose initiative and conference, supporting to catalyse action and deployment of impactful digital technologies throughout the Information and Communications Technology sector (ICT).
• Going Digital Guide to Data Governance Policy Making(2022, OECD) provides best practices for developing a strong data governance framework.
• Resilient cities, thriving cities: The evolution of urban resilience (2019, ICLEI) report providing an overview about climate resilience in cities and some good examples to get inspired on digitalisation.
• World Economic Forum AI Governance Alliance: Briefing Paper Series (2024, WEF), representing collective insights, establishes foundational focus areas for steering AI's development, adoption and governance, stands as a pivotal point of reference, guiding responsible transformation with artificial intelligence (AI). It is a collaborative effort of the WEF AI Governance Alliance, which is structured around three core working groups (Safe Systems and Technologies, Responsible Applications and Transformation, and Resilient Governance and Regulation).

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Accurate data is the cornerstone of effective climate action and policy making. It underpins informed decision-making, enabling policymakers to allocate resources wisely and design impactful strategies. Such data is also essential for measuring progress against set goals, ensuring that climate actions are on the right track. Furthermore, accurate data fosters trust among stakeholders and facilitates collaboration by providing a common ground for comparison and alignment of efforts. It also attracts investment by highlighting credible and sustainable projects. In short, without accurate data, climate action risks being inefficient and lacking in credibility, which can severely hamper the effective solutions against climate change.

Some initiatives that can support you in this are the following:

• Common Reporting Framework (CRF) of the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) includes recommendations to streamline measurement and reporting procedures, ensure robust climate action planning, implementation and monitoring, and retain the flexibility needed to meet local and regional contexts. Standardised yet flexible reporting that allows GCoM cities for progress tracking provides a springboard for stronger multilevel climate and energy governance – and improved technical and financial support.
• CDP-ICLEI Track, a unified climate reporting platform that enables local governments to report their climate and environmental activities, understand their impacts, and track progress and action. It simplifies the process and facilitates access to several initiatives, including initiatives by ICLEI, C40, GCoM, and WWF.
• City Academy, online platform of the UrbanShift project which provides a number of courses to guide practitioners in undertaking integrated and climate-oriented urban planning. Its course on Integrated Urban Planning may be of particular relevance for those interested in the use of data for planning.
• Learn With ICLEI AfricaLearn With ICLEI Africa provides a number of training courses and materials on themes relevant to subnational governments in Africa. Of note is the session on reporting on sub-national climate action through CDP-ICLEI Track. This platform may be of particular relevance to African sub-national governments.
• Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) leverages Google's mapping data and machine learning capabilities to offer estimates on building emissions, transportation emissions, rooftop solar potential, and tree canopy coverage. It can be used as a planning and assessment tool, and is widely accessible. Read for example about the potential for evidence-based urban mobility planning in the UTM-Google guide “Data and Insights to Inform, Action and Monitor Local Mobility Policies” (Dec 2023)
• The Data to Policy Navigator can support public policymakers with the basics of data-based decision-making, including a detailed guide as well as case studies. The associated Data to Policy Network facilitates exchanges between practitioners around the same theme.
• Understanding data and tools to accelerate city climate action (2021), GCoM’s white paper on using various data and tools for urban climate action planning.
• Online learning platforms such as EdX, Coursera, and Udemy offer courses on using data to drive decisions. For example, this course on “Data for Effective Policy Making’.

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Interdepartmental data sharing in cities can help enhance governance and service delivery, as well as planning. By allowing different city departments to access, contribute to, and utilise shared data, decision-making processes become more streamlined, avoiding duplication of efforts and building on synergies among different departments, leading to greater efficiency and cost-savings. Moreover, it fosters innovation by providing access to a pool of information that can inspire new solutions. Shared data also supports implementation by offering insights into environmental impacts and resource management.

The following resources can provide guidance on how best to streamline data across departments:

• City Academy, online platform of the UrbanShift project which provides a number of courses to guide practitioners in undertaking integrated and climate-oriented urban planning. Its course on Integrated Urban Planning may be of particular relevance for those interested in the use of data for planning.
• Going Digital Guide to Data Governance Policy Making (OECD, 2022) guidance providing some best practices for developing a strong data governance framework.
• The International Smart Cities Network also developed a guide on best practices and strategies for using data-based approaches in urban development.
• Cities for Digital Rights: initiative, led by cities like Amsterdam and Barcelona, aiming to develop guidelines and best practices for protecting digital rights at the municipal level, including analysing existing regulations and proposing reforms where needed.

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Engaging local stakeholders and private sector organisations allows cities to tap into a diverse range of sources and perspectives, which can improve the accuracy and completeness of data. This ensures the data collection to be aligned with the priorities and needs of the community, enabling more up-to-date monitoring and decision-making for city officials and therefore increasing the effectiveness of climate action policies. Involving stakeholders in data collection and monitoring activities promotes transparency and accountability, while empowering the community to invest in local sustainable development. Leveraging the engagement of stakeholders is key to ensure the relevance, accuracy, and legitimacy of the monitoring data.

See some resources and inspiration below.

• Open Data Platforms, such as the Open Government Partnership (OGP) or the World Bank Open Data, provide access to datasets and tools for collaboration, enabling cities to leverage the expertise and contributions of diverse stakeholders in monitoring efforts.
• Citizen Science Initiatives empower communities to actively participate in data collection and monitoring activities. In projects like the Urban Observatory and theCommunity-Based Air Monitoring Network, cities can involve their inhabitants in collecting environmental data using low-cost sensors (in- and outside public buildings, e.g. schools) and mobile apps.
• Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (Data4sdgs) encourages governments’ wider use of civil society data. Your city can learn from their experience including non-traditional data sources as citizen-generated data, by accessing their resource library and initiatives.
• People-Centred Smart Cities program assists local and national governments to transition to digital platforms, which offers the possibility for cities to install digital inclusive participation opportunities, also considering data collection-issues and therefore fostering greater transparency, collaboration, and responsiveness to community needs in data monitoring processes.

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Effective communication of a city’s monitoring and reporting results fosters transparency and accountability by providing stakeholders with access to information about the city’s progress on climate action targets and builds trust between the local government and the community. A sound communication helps to raise awareness among stakeholders about the local impacts of climate change and the importance of collective action, fostering the engagement and the interest of different people. Developing and adopting a communication strategy that targets diverse audience groups can help cities to share achievements, facilitate knowledge sharing and learning across stakeholders and sectors. By sharing best practices and lessons learned, cities can inspire innovation and collaboration, accelerate progress towards shared climate goals outside their territorial boundaries and meaningfully contribute to inspire their peers across the world.

Find some resources on how to effectively showcase your city’s best practices and climate action results below.

• Climate outreach is a charity focused on effective communication and community engagement on climate-related topics, aiding cities to explore narratives, storytelling and images of climate change that are adapted to local contexts and different audiences. You can find inspiring guidelines and useful material (such as climate visuals) to communicate and to work with the community to empower their engagement.
• There is a lot of movement to foster artistic expression to communicate the urgency of climate change and action. Cities can connect with artists and get expertise on how to develop innovative and creative climate action storytelling. Some examples at the global level: Project Everyone, Create2030 and Art-2030. Connect and hire your local artists!
• Project Everyone can inspire a city’s communication of local action on Sustainable Development Goals, since it provides campaign materials, unique installations and on-the-ground documentaries
• The One Planet City Challenge (World Wide Fund For Nature - WWF) provides the opportunity for your city to participate in a competition celebrating local forerunners on a global level in climate action. It supports you in setting science-based targets that reflect Paris Agreement goals and reporting on them on a standardised international platform that will showcase your advancements.

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To validate means to assess and confirm the effectiveness of strategies and measures implemented under a city’s climate action plans, in line with defined indicators and milestones. Validation can help cities understand the impact of their policies, adapt strategies as needed, and provide accountability to their communities and other relevant stakeholders. It is a crucial step in the climate action planning process, ensuring that efforts are not only ambitious but also grounded in real-world results.

Several reporting platforms allow the city to report and verify climate action progress, increasing the credibility and benchmarking efforts and aiding cities in developing and updating effective climate plans.

A selection of initiatives and resources you can benefit from is given below.

• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), the largest global alliance for city climate leadership across the globe uniting over 13,000 cities and local governments and 100+ supporting partners. The cities and partners of GCoM share a long-term vision of supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and move towards a resilient and low-emission society. Signatories in several global regions supported by Regional and National Covenants benefit from validation of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) action plans submitted by entities such as the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC). In particular, the JRC evaluates and approves the SECAPs of cities with a feedback procedure for the European Union, EU Eastern Partnership countries and European Neighbourhood South Region.
• GIZ City WORKS is a toolbox developed to support the implementation of global agendas (such as the SDGs) at the city level. It is designed to help cities understand and integrate international agreements and targets into their local planning and actions. The toolbox offers a process-oriented approach with methodological and technical tools for each step, from data gathering to monitoring and reporting.
• When reporting through CDP-ICLEI Track, cities that have achieved certain milestones can make it onto the Cities A-List to showcase their leadership in the climate action space. See more about international disclosure platforms.
• Climate action for URBan sustainability (CURB) scenario planning tool, uses local city data to provide tailored analyses that help cities evaluate low carbon actions. In case the city has gaps in data, CURB provides alternative data derived from comparable cities, countries or regions.. Training sessions are available upon request.

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Climate action reporting is a critical process that serves multiple purposes, including increasing transparency and accountability, and improving policy-making and implementation. Regular and verified reporting also reduces uncertainty, and can facilitate access to finance.

Reporting through recognized platforms can ensure the quality of data through additional verification and by setting a uniform standard of reporting for various parameters, as well as providing technical assistance to improve data collection and management practices. Such platforms also facilitate the transfer of information and best practices among cities by providing a common basis for monitoring their targets, plans, and actions.

Some major reporting platforms and guidance that are available for cities include:

• CDP-ICLEI Track is a unified climate reporting platform that enables local governments to report their climate and environmental activities, understand their impacts, and track progress and action. It simplifies the process and facilitates access to several initiatives, including initiatives by ICLEI, C40, GCoM, and WWF. A number of trainings are available to guide cities through the reporting process.
• Without comprehensive monitoring, it becomes challenging to evaluate the effectiveness of implemented measures, identify areas for improvement, and foster collective learning among cities and municipalities. This is exactly why reporting and monitoring have become an essential part of the Covenant of Mayors process, serving as a backbone for effective climate action at local level. To this end, the European Covenant of Mayors Community relies on a comprehensive reporting platform for all its signatories, coordinators, and supporters: the MyCovenant platform
• GCoM’s Global Common Reporting Framework (CRF) aids cities to track their climate actions and progress towards achieving their climate targets. Cities can use this tool to align their actions with their country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and compare their performance against national and international benchmarks.
• The Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2021) (GPC for cities) provides an accounting and reporting standard for cities.

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Updating climate action plans regularly can ensure they remain effective and relevant and help set the course for more ambitious future visions. Regular updating can allow for the incorporation of new scientific data, technological advancements, and evolving policies and their impacts. In addition to facilitating progress tracking, updating plans can provide opportunities to recalibrate actions and approaches in line with the evolving needs of the city.

While the frequency of updates can vary, it is generally recommended that climate action plans be revisited every three years, in line with the cycle of Global Covenant of Mayors’s Global Common Reporting Framework (CRF). The CRF aids cities to track their climate actions and progress towards achieving their climate targets. Cities can use this tool to align their actions with their country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and compare their performance against national and international benchmarks. Such a periodic review strikes a balance between the stability needed for long-term planning and the flexibility required to adapt to changing circumstances.

Some processes and tools that can assist in updating climate plans, and incorporating new approaches, include:

• Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) are self-assessments conducted by sub-national governments to monitor and report their progress towards achieving the SDGs. These reviews are part of the follow-up and review mechanisms of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. VLRs are not officially mandated, but are a voluntary commitment by local and regional governments to localise the SDGs, increase transparency, strengthen and update policies, foster collaboration and knowledge exchange, and also showcase their experiences and successes. A number of guidelines are available for cities wishing to conduct a VLR.
• The Climate action for URBan sustainability (CURB) scenario planning tool, developed by a consortium of leading urban development organisations, is an Excel-based tool that uses local city data to provide tailored analyses that help cities evaluate low carbon actions. CURB also provides alternative data in case of data gaps, derived from comparable cities, countries or regions. Trainings are available upon request.
• Case studies from other cities, from organisations such as ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and C40, can serve as inspiration, providing real-world examples of how cities planned their climate action, the challenges they encountered, and how they monitored and adjusted their approaches.
• ClearPath is an online platform designed to assist local governments in completing greenhouse gas inventories, forecasts, climate action plans, and monitoring at both community-wide and government-operations scales. It is engineered to support the full mitigation journey, from setting a baseline inventory of GHG emissions to tracking the progress of implemented actions. It is available only for US cities.

See also about approaches to validate your city’s result and the alignment of the city target with those of its country and with the Paris Agreement.

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While implementing climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, cities have to constantly update their climate action plans to adapt to changing local conditions, advancements in science, upcoming policy frameworks, new finance opportunities, etc. Therefore, cities' technical ability to draw conclusions out of monitoring data processes to redefine climate action plans and corresponding projects is crucial. Assessing the technical capacities of a city and investing in the ongoing professional training of its staff are essential steps in ensuring the successful development and the proceeding improvement of climate action plans.

Opportunities for continuous education, workshops, seminars, and certifications for building and maintaining the technical skills are provided by several initiatives and can be helpful for cities to enable effective design of climate action plans for reaching net-zero.

Some ideas for you:

• The Global Climate Action Portal (GCAP) can help you to find capacity building opportunities through its tracking of over 30.000 actors. By using this network of different governance levels, companies, investors and organisations you can exchange experiences and benefit from expertise that matches your needs.
• City Climate Planner program helps city staff and their partners develop the skills needed to advance local climate action in cities worldwide through training and professional certifications
• CAPRA (Probabilistic Risk Assessment) Platform is providing multiple softwares that can be useful for cities to assess how to analyse and integrate disaster risk data into their climate action plans.
• Depending on the capacities needed, private providers can offer cities guidance via various (customised) online courses and certifications in data science & analysis, sustainability, finance, languages, etc. (see Udemy, edX, Coursera and the Center for Management & Organizations Effectiveness - CMOE).

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System thinking in climate action is important to make sure you consider all the components of the transition and systematically address the complex challenges posed by climate change. This integrated approach refers to interdisciplinary collaboration, including urban planning, engineering, environmental science, public health, economics, social equity, and community development. These multiple disciplines and sectors are reflected by the cities’ departments. Cities will need to combine the skills they find among the local government’s officials and further expand these capacities to plan and regulate the transition., e.g. by engaging with communities and stakeholders and developing partnerships. Bundling capacities within the city government, community members, stakeholders and partners can be crucial to co-develop and co-improve the climate action plans.

Some resources for you below:

• The Club of Rome can help cities to develop systemic solutions to global challenges, one priority being climate change. Its Planetary Emergency Hub offers guidance in holistic thinking, for instance via its international system change compass. Its Youth Leadership and Intergenerational Dialogues Impact Hub empowers young people and can provide you expertise on how to mobilise intergenerational action for system change.
• SYSTEMIQ offers expertise on how to develop an integrated approach to systemic change solutions to foster sustainable development of the economy.
• You can also get inspired by the UrbanSHIFT project, offering guidance, resources and capacities to cities to adopt integrated approaches to urban development and building an equitable, zero-carbon future where both people and the planet can thrive.

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Cities play an important role in helping to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and deliver a transition to a more sustainable future. Strengthening relationships and collaboration between national, regional and local levels of government is essential to ensure an effective alignment and synergy between strategies, policies, financial instruments, data management, infrastructures and responsibilities towards a net-zero future. By showcasing successful climate action through ambitious targets, innovative policies and hosting pilot innovative projects at the local level, cities can demonstrate leadership to both local and global communities engaged in tackling climate change. As the closest level to citizens local governments and not only administrators, they lead by example, and provide a variety of key services to their citizens. Because of their key role, cities are at a critical juncture to leverage momentum to reduce energy demand and further develop and scale up more sustainable energy solutions, which includes actively benefiting and using the renewable energy sources available in their territories and developing plans to reinvest these benefits and revenues right within the community they serve.

Local governments can help inform and complement national efforts through optimised local data, and through reporting on local emissions, vulnerabilities and place-based needs.

In order to foster multi-level governance dialogue, advocacy and collaboration, you can get resources and inspiration below.

• You can find the list of the Nationally Determined Contributions in the website of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and opportunities of multi-level governance dialogues being enabled under the platform. For instance, the Talanoa Dialogue Platform enables participatory and inclusive discussions on climate action at all levels of governance. The Marrakech Partnership strengthens the connectivity of different governance level actions and provides the opportunity for cities to scale up their solutions.
• The COP27 Presidency, in collaboration with UN-Habitat and with the facilitation of ICLEI, developed the Sustainable Urban Resilience for the next Generation (SURGe) Initiative which aims to achieve sustainable and resilient urban systems through strengthen the implementation of the climate agenda in and with cities; unlocking urban climate finance; capacity-building and ensuring equity. Learn more about the SURGE initiative dedicated to connecting local, national and global levels for climate action.
• The Coalition for High Ambition Multi-Level Partnerships’ (CHAMP), pioneering initiative launched at COP28 that provides a mechanism to harvest the best ideas for climate action from the local level, with the goal of ensuring the next round of national climate targets are as ambitious and inclusive as possible. You can find out more about f this initiative in the technical brief Local Action for Global Goals: An Opportunity for Enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (2024)
• Through the Under2 Coalition cities and subnational governments can participate in a global multi-level governance net-zero-emission network. Being co-members in the network, enables you to influence national governments ambitions on a horizontal level.
• By showcasing the collective efforts of non-state actors, including cities, the Race to Zero Campaign can help you to advocate and inspire national governments to adopt more ambitious climate policies and targets.
• Global green city or climate-neutral city awards can showcase a city’s leadership and innovation and raise your visibility for national governments. Here are some examples for awards for cities and urban planning on sustainable climate action: UN Global Climate Action Awards, European Green Capital and Green Leaf Award, AIPH World Green City Award, Urban Innovation Awards.

Go explore also the resources to support you align your targets and goal with your national government and with the Paris Agreement.

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