At the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Glasgow this year, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) showed how ambitious city climate action accelerates and supports the efforts of national governments. Cities and local governments are quickly achieving ambitious climate goals and acting increasingly as a driving force for emissions reductions progress for national governments, however, continued local action at the necessary scope and scale depends on coordination and integration with national and regional governments.
With the Glasgow Climate Pact, cities are recognized as key partners to achieve the 1.5ºC goal of the Paris Agreement, but more resources are needed to support the implementation of a green and just recovery from COVID-19.
GCoM had a strong presence at COP26, and participated in the following events in the last two weeks.
GCoM at COP26
November 1 - World Leaders Summit
UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub Pavilion COP 26 Session 1 (Opening) - Rewatch the session here.
Accelerating Clean Technology Innovation and Deployment - Glasgow Breakthroughs - Rewatch the event here.
World leaders join UK's Glasgow Breakthroughs to speed up affordable cleantech worldwide. GCoM is proud to work together to accelerate the development and deployment of clean technologies and sustainable solutions, and ensure they are affordable and accessible for all.
The new guide offers planners an encyclopedia of proven options to help cool cities. The guide’s 80 supporting case studies and examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the strategies outlined and can help cities find an approach best suited to their unique contexts. Learn more and download the report here.
November 4 - Energy
Global Youth Energy Outlook Launch: Effectively Partnering With Youth on Climate Action - Rewatch the session here.
CoM SSA: Strengthening Multilevel & Inclusive Governance for Climate Action: Messages from African Mayors for COP26 - Rewatch the session here.
November 5 - Youth & Public Empowerment
Mobilizing Urban Climate Finance through the City Climate Finance Gap Fund - Rewatch the session here.
UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub Pavilion COP 26 Session 3: Accelerating Climate Innovation for Cities and Communities - Rewatch the session here.
November 6 - Nature
Urban LEDS - Urban Content in 2nd Round of NDCs – Initial Findings - More info here, replay will soon be available here.
November 8 - Adaptation Loss & Damage
Accelerating and Financing the Implementation of Local Climate Action Plans in Latin America - Rewatch the session here.
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), was awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity along with 1M Euro to finance projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. The ceremony for the attribution of the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity was held on the 9th of November at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
Cities, Climate Change Science and Innovation: Outcomes from the Innovate4Cities Conference - More info here, replay will soon be available here.
On the 9th November the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), the European Commission, Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) Urban Europe, and Mission Innovation (MI) launched the cities- focused Urban Transitions mission, a joint effort to mobilize and support 50 pilot cities worldwide to implement large-scale clean energy demonstration projects by 2030. Learn more here.
Harnessing Collective Initiatives to Achieve Europe’s 2050 Climate Neutrality Goal - Rewatch the session here.
Racing to 1.5°: Cities Mainstreaming Evidence-Based Climate & Energy Policies in Europe & Mediterranean - Rewatch the session here.
November 10 - Transport
UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub Pavilion COP 26 Session 1: Addressing Access in Cities- Rewatch the session here.
November 11 - Cities, Regions & Built Environment
Further and Faster – Local Climate Action and the Role of the Global Covenant of Mayors - More info here, replay will soon be available here.
Initiative Launch - the Summary for Urban Policymakers of the IPCC 6th Assessment Report - Rewatch the session here.
On November 11th, several of the world’s leading climate change scientists came together with city and business leaders, global NGOs and national governments to announce a new initiative, the Summary for Urban Policymakers (SUP) that will present the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments in accessible and targeted summaries that can help inform action at the city scale. Learn more here.
Accelerating Local Climate Action in Medium & Small Municipalities Committed to the GCoM: Looking at Good Practices Across the Americas - More info here, replay will soon be available here.
Turning ideas, Plans and Pipelines into Practice and Reality: How the Gap Fund is Supporting Cities and Local Governments at the Early Stage of Project Preparation and Planning - Rewatch the session here.
Launched on November 9, the Multilevel Climate Action Playbook for Local and Regional Governments recommends key elements of an enabling environment that can weave climate ambition and action of local and regional governments into Party policy developments to accelerate vertically integrated NDC implementation and investment plans. This enabling environment can help produce Regional and Local Contributions (RLCs), which are complementary to – and designed for integration with – Nationally Determined Contributions. Download the report here.
Launched on November 9, GCoM’s annual Impact (Aggregation) Report sheds light on the collective influence of its signatories at the frontlines of the fight against climate change, and calls for a significant boost in urban climate finance flows to realize the full potential of city climate action. Download here.
