Today marks the halfway point of COP26, and conversations on the ground and online are already referring to this year’s UN Climate Summit as a ‘Finance COP’. Today is also Nature Day at the summit and I would like to remind us of nature’s central role in the global climate response.
This week, figures reaching well into the billions have been quoted as the gaps between the climate finance currently available and what is needed to create a climate-positive world at peace with nature.
Very few of these are aggregated to the city, town or regional level – the places where the agreements made both at this Climate COP and the Biodiversity COP (CBD COP15) in Kunming in 2022 are ultimately implemented, through projects championed by local and regional government leaders and officials.
How accessible are all the funds really for scaled local action during this decade, which many hail as our last opportunity to achieve real transformation and avoid permanent damage to our planet?
This is especially critical for our cities in the Global South, cities that are not adequately represented at COP26 due to travel and connectivity limitations.
Citizens’ Recommendations for Fair and Effective Action on Climate Change
Citizen participation in local and global governance empowers and engages diverse stakeholders to contribute solutions to address the impacts of climate change. Insights from producing and delivering recommendations to policymakers and others who make decisions regarding climate action.
14:30 - 16:00 GMT
Speakers will share experiences of biodiversity and climate action at subnational level and discuss the key role of sub-state authorities in addressing the global twin crises.
16:30 - 18:00 GMT
Examples of the application of NbS to deliver both mitigation and adaptation action alongside other co-benefits are many, yet upscaling their delivery to be more universally applied remains a challenge.
If you missed a session, navigate to the replay tab on the platform to watch again.
How local communities take central stage at COP26
Listen. Include. Empower. Enabling people to find their voices and truly understand the climate emergency, all while creating a legacy of people-led development.
Cities & Regions in the spotlight
"There is no science without culture, no economy without culture, no politics without culture. There is no urbanism without culture. We cannot build a future without defining a different culture.”
Tunc Soyer, Mayor of Izmir Metropoitan Municipality, Turkey and and Climate Action Co-Chair of the Global Executive Committee at ICLEI
Resources to create #CitiesWithNature
New online free course
Collaborative design, implementation and evaluation of nature-based solutions (NbS) for urban renewal with local communities.
CitiesWithNature are reshaping our future
Cities, regions and towns can control the way they change and grow. They are at the frontline of global crises and need to remain agile.
Investing in Urban Nature:
A Toolkit for Cities
Inspiration for local governments in the global south to build an investment case to peak interest and attract financial resources to protect, conserve and manage biodiversity.
Share your experience
Share your experience at the online pavilion with your network!
Visit our Trello board for all the assets you need to create social media posts about your participation in the event.
