"If you want to achieve the Paris Agreement targets, we need to have cities in the room. What happened today is a major success. And to all of my colleagues, let’s make sure mayors remain in the room."
Recap of 3 December 2023
Two little words - "direct access" - mean so much in the climate fund announced by the COP28 Presidency on Day 1 of COP.
The Scottish Government announced plans to work with C40 Cities on locally-led loss and damage efforts, and a new report on the same topic was released.
The LGMA Constituency got to comment before Heads of State, in another head-turning move on inclusion by the COP28 Presidency.
And we got new reports and data on adaptation, with some positive signals.
Quoted above: Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, France, speaking at the opening of the Local Climate Action Summit on 1 December 2023.
Loss & Damage in focus
As historic loss and damage fund victory kicks off COP28, cities and regions celebrate direct access to critical funding
The LGMA celebrates the announcement from the opening day of COP28 establishing the Loss and Damage fund, with commitments already coming from the UAE, USA, Japan and EU, led by Germany. The established fund critically includes direct access for subnational governments.
Scottish Government and C40 launch partnership and report on locally-led inclusive climate action for loss and damage
At COP28, First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf announced that C40 Cities will receive £1 million from Scotland’s Climate Justice Fund to focus efforts on tackling loss and damage in marginalized communities. A new report Loss and damage: Challenges and opportunities for city leadership was also announced.
Ravi Bhalla, Mayor of Hoboken (USA) delivered a statement from the LGMA as the first ever UNFCCC Ministerial Dialogue on Just Transition. Notably, Constituencies spoke before Parties and Ministers to set the scene. We applaud this innovation by the COP28 Presidency and hope this practice sets a precedence for other UNFCCC sessions as well.
New report reveals progress by state and non-state actors on adaptation and resilience
While acknowledging the challenges ahead, the Sharm El Sheikh Action Agenda’s (SAA) first Implementation Report, launched today at COP28, reveals positive signals of progress across key systems. Combined, they underscore a collective resolve to ramp implementation of adaptation solutions, enhance planning to mitigate climate risks, and close the adaptation finance gap.
From Mumbai to Paris: How cities are spearheading adaptation action
Discover how cities part of Race to Resilience partner initiative, Cities Race to Resilience, are taking action across seven core areas. All data was publicly reported on CDP-ICLEI Track, the main reporting platform for Race To Resilience cities, and more actions can be accessed on CDP’s Open Data Portal.
What sea level rise will look like in cities that have hosted climate summits
As global leaders and delegates gather in Dubai for the annual UN climate summit, a new analysis shows how the host cities of previous summits could be inundated — if not entirely submerged — by rising ocean waters. >> Read more
From ICLEI
Empowering communities and scale climate action
ICLEI formalized a Cooperation Agreement between the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) at COP28 on 3 December 2023. The partnership focuses on empowering communities and scaling up climate action, prioritizing the reduction of climate-induced risks in urban areas, with special attention to vulnerable groups and critical infrastructure. >> Read more
From World Resources Institute
What is the "Global Stocktake" and how can it accelerate climate action?
Current global climate actions are not enough to combat the climate crisis. This year’s Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement confirms this; yet, its findings can be leveraged to step up our ambitions. >> Read more
From the Climate Champions
Action underway for resilience for 1.87 billion people
Race to Resilience was created in 2021 to catalyze collaboration and elevate the adaptation and resilience agenda to the same level of urgency as mitigation. To date, it has pledged resilience actions across 164 countries, aiming to enhance the resilience of 3.17 billion people by 2030, with concrete impacts underway. >> Read more
