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1. The Issue
Responsible for about 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, cities can play a critical role in reducing these emissions – especially as their populations surge over the coming decades and many cities struggle with aging and inadequate infrastructure. Climate change increases the risk and stress to water, sewer, drainage and transportation systems as well as infrastructure, as these systems are more exposed to the impact of increasingly powerful hurricanes, typhoons and other natural disasters. Clear greenhouse gas reduction goals, viable strategies, enhanced capacity and tangible financing are essential for cities to reduce emissions and become increasingly resilient.
Action Plan
City, state and national Governments are working with public and private sector partners to help cities slash their output of greenhouse gases and withstand natural disasters. These strategies center on data collection and use; advancing climate legislation; aligning strategies and developing programmes in critical sectors; as well as providing concrete and viable financing options for urban solutions.
Cities are responsible for about 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions
Action Area: CITIES
Traffic congestion, Mexico – World Bank/ Curt Carnemark

2. Deliverables
Mayors Compact
The Mayors Compact welcomes mayors to tap into existing networks of local, county, provincial and state Governments to strengthen and expand national Government pledges to reduce emissions. This will contribute to an aggregation of all city emission targets, and an initiative by leading city networks to commit to a transparent approach to report on city emission reduction targets and strategies.
Sub-National Climate Action
Leading global, state and regional Government groups are creating a transparent reporting platform – the States and Regions Compact – to set targets, reduce emissions and strengthen cities’ ability to withstand natural disasters. These governmental groups also are working to move climate legislation through their Parliaments and legislative bodies before the Summit and in 2015.
City Climate Finance Leadership Alliance
The alliance aims to build an alliance among key partners and programmes that aims to meet cities growing need for financing to address the challenges of climate change. The commitments of participants will envelope a set of principles, a new financing facility, and a marketplace to match financial and technical assistance with projects aimed at lowering carbon outputs and increasing the resiliency of cities in developing countries.
For more information on contributing to this Action Area contact:
Robert Kehew
Leader, Climate Change Planning
United Nations Unit Urban Planning and Design Branch
UN-HABITAT
robert.kehew@unhabitat.org
Kerry Constabile
UN Secretary-General’s Climate Change Support Team
Office of the Assistant Secretary- General for Strategic Planning
constabile@un.org
The United Nations Secretary-General has invited leaders from Government, business, finance and civil society to come to the Climate Summit on 23 September and make bold commitments to action in areas that are critical for keeping global temperature increases to less than two degrees Celsius.
The eight Action Areas are:
Agriculture | Cities | Energy | Financing | Forests | Pollutants | Resilience | Transportation
Find out more at:
www.un.org/climatechange/summit