Empowering Local Leaders at the COP28 Local Climate Action Summit

Climate change impacts everyone, albeit unequally. Still, it stands to reason that active participation from all sectors at all levels is needed to combat the climate crisis and limit global heating. The COP28 Local Climate Action Summit aims to empower local leaders in tackling climate change. 

The Local Levels

At this point, climate action plans should be a part of every country’s national plans. What is often overlooked and underutilized, however, is how impactful local governments and communities can be. 

State governments, city governments, even village governments and local communities can and have been creating targets, initiatives, policies, and programs to tackle climate change challenges at their scales. They are the first ones to feel the impact of climate change. So, often, they are the first ones to act. 

Furthermore, climate actions require localization to be just, effective, and inclusive. Local leaders are the ones most likely to understand the socioeconomic, geographical, historical, and cultural contexts of their areas. Empowering them to accelerate their climate adaptation efforts is essential. 

Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, said, “Greater collaboration is still needed between local leaders, the private sector, national governments, and international finance institutions. This Local Climate Action Summit will be a major opportunity to empower local and regional governments – who are already leading the way in reducing emissions – to be bolder and move faster.”

COP28 Local Climate Action Summit

Hosted by the COP28 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the COP28 Local Climate Action Summit will convene hundreds of mayors, governors, businesses, NGOs, and other local leaders. It will be supported by various networks and organizations, including C40 Cities, UN-Habitat, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Under2 Coalition, and others. 

The goal of the Summit is “to establish a new paradigm for fully integrated climate action between governments at all levels.” It will focus on four core themes:

• Transforming Local Climate Finance: Strengthen sustainable financial mechanisms to fund climate actions at the subnational level through public and private investment.
• Integrating Local Contributions to Enhance Global Action: Incorporate local implementation into national and international climate policy design and global targets. 
• Fast-tracking the Local Energy Transition: Propel rapid advancements and create new strategies across energy sectors to deliver ambitious results locally.
• Strengthening Local Resilience and Adaptation: Protect residents and infrastructure from immediate and future climate risks. 

Nomusa Dube-Ncube, Premier of KwaZulu-Natal and Africa Co-Chair of the Under2 Coalition, shared her thoughts about the Summit. She said, “This Summit will give a voice to those who so often aren’t heard in climate change debates but who are dealing with its impacts day in, day out. Such impacts are felt especially acutely in Africa, which contributes only 4% to global emissions but suffers disproportionately from the results, socially, economically, and otherwise. States, regions, and other subnational governments act as first responders to extreme weather events while testing out ways to reduce emissions and adapt to a changing climate. We are an important part of the debate, and I look forward to joining my colleagues at COP28 to find new solutions for our planet – together.”

The Local Climate Action Summit will take place alongside COP28 in Dubai, UAE, on December 1–2, 2023.

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