The themes of city-led climate action, urgent focus on adaptation, and the necessity of multilevel governance are now central to the ongoing COP30 summit. COP30 President Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago confirmed this focus at the close of the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change, confirming that cities have been placed at the core of global climate negotiations. It must be noted that an earlier meeting, held in partnership with Brazil’s Ministry of Cities and UN-Habitat, stressed that effective action requires these coordinated efforts.
Adaptation is the fundamental issue:
Corrêa do Lago emphasized that while mitigation often dominates global talks, for cities and local governments, adaptation is the “absolutely fundamental issue” that must be addressed. He said that success depends on all levels of government—federal, state, and municipal—thinking together, noting that “no one has the single right answer.”
Brazil’s Minister of Cities, Jader Barbalho Filho, underscored this point, highlighting that local governments are on the front line of the climate crisis. He said the critical need for financing to implement adaptation measures, arguing that the goals discussed in Belém can only be achieved through the effective participation of municipalities in the climate agenda. The event drew key figures, including the Governors of California and Pará, symbolizing the necessary multilevel approach.
Local action reflected in new NDCs:
The ministerial meeting also served as the launchpad for a UN-Habitat study, “Urban Content in NDC 3.0: A Global Overview for COP30.”
Key findings:
• The new NDCs contain more than twice as much information about cities compared to previous climate plans.
• Nearly 80% of new NDCs include specific reference to cities or urban content.
• The NDCs are shifting the focus from climate planning to tangible implementation at the city level.
• Over 80% of the NDCs include a dedicated adaptation component, emphasizing local resilience efforts.
• More than 80% of the NDCs show broad economic coverage related to urban climate action.
• The documents demonstrate an increased emphasis on coordinated multilevel governance (local, regional, and national).
• The goals of the Paris Agreement cannot be achieved without effective local and urban climate action.
UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach stated that the Paris Agreement goals cannot be achieved “without local, urban, and multilevel climate action.” The report provides compelling evidence that international climate planning is evolving, showing that the latest NDCs contain more than twice as much information about cities as previous plans.
The findings indicate a strong global shift toward implementation at the local level. According to Selwin Hart, Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action at the UN, nearly 80% of the new NDCs reference cities, and over 80% include an adaptation component. This demonstrates that countries are taking the integration of the urban and environmental agendas “extremely seriously.”
