Hundreds of Local Leaders Convene at First-Ever COP28 Local Climate Action Summit, Eight Years After Inaugural Local Leaders Summit Outside COP21

December 2, 2023

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2-day summit brought together over 500 attendees to turbocharge multilevel climate action, including mayors and governors from 60+ countries across six continents

40+ announcements included launch of the Coalition for High Ambition Multi-Level Partnerships, a new cohort of Breathe Cities, and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Youth Climate Action Fund

Dubai, U.A.E. – Today at COP28, over 500 mayors, governors, and other local leaders from over 60 countries gathered for the second day of the COP28 Local Climate Action Summit (LCAS) hosted by the COP28 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies. LCAS kicked off on December 1 with an unprecedented global delegation of local leaders joining COP28 President Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber and UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions Michael R. Bloomberg at the COP28 World Climate Action Summit – marking a new era for integrating local climate leadership into the COP program and process.

Building on the collaborative spirit ignited on the Summit’s first day, leaders engaged in substantive conversations about concrete actions and strategies to enhance multi-level partnerships to accelerate global climate progress, including incorporating local leaders into the design of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to secure crucial resources and financing required for effective local climate action.

On the first day of LCAS, the COP28 Presidency launched the Coalition for High Ambition Multi-Level Partnerships (CHAMP). Developed in consultation with subnational and national leaders, along with a diverse set of stakeholders, CHAMP is an initiative that recommends a new process for local and regional leaders to contribute to the development of updated and ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). CHAMP has been endorsed by 63 national governments fostering collaboration between national and subnational levels to find a new, inclusive, and ambitious approach to updating Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It 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.

The second day of the Summit kicked off with the Mayors Innovation Studio, where Bloomberg Philanthropies gathered over 150 mayors from 55 countries. The Mayors Innovation Studio marked the launch of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Youth Climate Action Fund, providing technical assistance and funding to support mayors worldwide in engaging tens of thousands of youth aged 15 to 24 in designing, producing, and overseeing urgent climate solutions, from tree-planting to policy making. Efforts stemming from the Youth Climate Action Fund are expected to ignite awareness and action in communities to advance climate goals as critical as meeting decarbonization and reducing consumption-based emissions.

Following an announcement from Bloomberg Philanthropies about a new $65 million commitment in support of local leadership around the world, the second day of LCAS saw over 40 announcements and new research about local climate action and the impact of climate change on subnationals, including:

The All-In Climate Pathway: Key Policy Levers for 1.5C-Aligned Action report detailed an “all-in” climate strategy that fuses national with subnational and all-of-society action can keep global climate goals—including 1.5°C—within reach.
Breathe Cities unveiled a new cohort of cities to join the $30 million initiative to fight air pollution. The new cohort of cities will receive funding, technical support, air quality data, community engagement, capacity building, and more as part of the Breathe Cities initiative supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clean Air Fund, and C40 Cities.
The Subnational Climate Action Leaders’ Exchange (SCALE) marked its first year with the launch of LOW-Methane, a new initiative to jumpstart a dramatic scale-up of global action to cut methane emissions from the waste sector.
The President of the Inter-American Development Bank announced a $372.5 million commitment through the Too Good To Waste Initiative.
The Urban Nature Program was launched as the largest coalition of actors committed to advancing Nature-positive development in cities and regions. Co-led by the World Bank through its Global Platform for Sustainable Cities, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP),, and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the initiative will provide financial and technical assistance to accelerate investments in nature in urban areas.
Governor Raquel Lyra of Pernambuco announced funding by the UK to support 5 states in Brazil taking climate action to assist the delivery of the forthcoming National Adaptation Plan, which prioritizes an integrated approach by cities and states to adaptation.
The Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance, C40 Cities, and the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) published Accelerating Urban Climate Finance in Low-and Middle-Income Economies: A Strategic Component of MDB Reform, a first-of-its-kind assessment of MDBs’ contributions to urban climate finance in low- and middle-income Countries and explores opportunities for them to accelerate urban climate finance. The report presents a comprehensive picture of the current landscape of MDBs’ contributions to urban climate finance and presents recommendations on how they can play an even more significant role in financing urban climate projects.
The World Resources Institute (WRI) revealed the significant impact of rising global temperatures on urban residents’ vulnerability to extreme heat, demonstrating the challenges of a warmer world. According to their research, The Future of Extreme Heat in Cities: What We Know — and What We Don’t, nearly three times as many cities would experience 150 or more days each year where temperatures soar to life-threatening levels under a 3°C world in comparison to a 1.5°C world. WRI also released the Multi-level Governance Atlas, showcasing over 100 global examples of how multi-level governance can facilitate and drive climate action.
An Expert Group convened by GCoM and WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities released Integrity Matters for Cities, States & Regions, a report with recommendations for subnational governments to ensure the credibility, accountability, and transparency of their net-zero commitments while acknowledging their varied capacities and characteristics.
The State of California (United States), Under2 Coalition North America co-chair, formally launched the Subnational Methane Action Coalition with state and regional leaders from across the world to reduce methane emissions at the regional level, helping to advance countries’ collective aim of keeping warming below 1.5 degrees.
Mayor Eduardo Paes of Rio de Janeiro announced support from Brazil’s National Front of Mayors, Frente Nacional de Prefeitos (FNP), for The Coalition for High Ambition Multi-level Partnerships (CHAMP). CHAMP is a new initiative from the UAE COP28 Presidency with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies to accelerate multilevel climate action from national and subnational governments.
The Urban Content of the NDCs: Country Briefs and Deep-Dive Analyses 2023 was published by the UN-Habitat, University of Southern Denmark, and the United Nations Development Programme. This in-depth analysis of NDCs included policy guidance for governments, practitioners, and development organizations working on NDC design and implementation strategies.
14 government leaders representing regions in Africa, Australia, Europe, and North and South America signed on to the Mediterranean Climate Action Partnership (MCAP), jointly recognizing that building resilience to the increasingly disruptive impacts from climate change requires innovative solutions.
Under2 Coalition Asia-Pacific co-chair, Chungnam Province (South Korea), announced they are launching a Governors and Premiers Partnership to enhance subnational climate diplomacy efforts. This will spearhead and raise ambition for climate action at the state and regional level while improving collaboration between subnational partners.

Speakers and special guests included Yvonne Aki-Sawyer, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone and Co-Chair of C40 Cities; Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Hong Kong; Jader Barbalho Filho, Minister of Cities, Brazil; Jean-François Gagné, Head of Secretariat, the Clean Energy Ministerial; Ilan Goldfajn, President ot the Inter-American Development Bank; Samsi Gunarta, Head of Transportation, Government of Bali, Indonesia; H.E Rachmat Kaimuddin, Deputy Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investments in Infrastructure and Transportation, Indonesia; Ajay Mathur, Director General of the International Solar Alliance; Dr. Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, Minister of Environment, Rwanda; Dr. Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment, World Health Organization; John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, White House; Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Kim Tae-heum, Governor of Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea; Chen Tian, Director General of the Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, Beijing; Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw, Poland; and others.

The Summit laid the groundwork for continued, comprehensive involvement in the upcoming COP28 Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change on December 6th, held in partnership with UN-Habitat, which will convene ministers, local leaders, and other key stakeholders around accelerating local finance.

About the COP28 Local Climate Action Summit:
The COP28 Local Climate Action Summit is the first Summit hosted by the COP Presidency in recognition of the critical role local leaders play in reducing emissions, addressing climate risk, and supercharging national efforts to move further and faster on climate progress. Hosted by the COP28 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Summit brings together national and subnational climate leaders to transform climate finance, enhance global action, fast-track the energy transition, and strengthen resilience and adaptation at the local level. This Summit is backed by world-leading networks of local leaders, including the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), US Conference of Mayors, the Under2 Coalition, UN-Habitat, the World Resources Institute (WRI), and others.

The LCAS unites subnational and national leaders to establish a new paradigm for fully integrated climate action between governments at all levels across four core themes:

Transforming Local Climate Finance: Strengthen sustainable financial mechanisms to mobilize the trillions of dollars in public and private investment needed globally at the subnational level to deliver real change.
Integrating Local Contributions to Enhance Global Action: Incorporate local implementation into national and international climate policy design and determine how best to factor subnational action into future national and global climate goals, including for 2030.
Fast-tracking the Local Energy Transition: Propel rapid advancements across pivotal sectors and surface new strategies to deliver ambitious results locally.
Strengthening Local Resilience and Adaptation: Protect residents and infrastructure from immediate and future climate risks.

For more information about the Summit, please visit www.cop28.com/LCAS.