Cop28 To Host Climate Action Summit

The first-time summit will focus on transforming local climate finance, strengthening local resilience and fast-tracking energy transition

For the first time, a formal local climate action summit will be held at the Cop28 climate change conference this year in Dubai. Hosted by the Cop28 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Cop28 Local Climate Action Summit will take place on December 1 and 2 in Dubai and bring together hundreds of subnational climate leaders, including mayors, governors, businesses, non-government organisations and more.

The summit will centre around four core themes, focused on areas such as transforming local climate finance, strengthening local resilience and fast-tracking the energy transition. “Cities are where the climate battle will largely be won or lost,” said United Nations secretary-general António Guterres. “We all need to push further and faster; keep collaborating, innovating and raising ambition. Mobilising and equipping local governments with the capacity and financing to accelerate climate action is necessary if we are to bend the emissions curve. We need to achieve our 1.5-degree goal.”

Cop28 president-designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber said the Cop28 Presidency will bring mayors into the heart of the Cop process and the World Leaders Summit for the first time. He added, “City leaders have been at the forefront of climate action – accelerating ambition, delivering results and dealing with climate impacts in real time. By bringing hundreds of local leaders to Cop28, we will foster new, multi-level partnerships to help fast track the energy transition, fix climate finance, focus on people, lives and livelihoods, and make sure local voices are heard at the international climate table. Only by working in true partnership can we close the gap the Global Stocktake reveals and keep 1.5C within reach.”

Dr Al Jaber and Mike Bloomberg, UN special envoy on climate ambition and solutions and founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, will be joined by a council of local and global climate leaders to ensure strong multi-level partnerships at and following the summit. Global co-chairs for the summit are expected to include Xie Zhenhua, special envoy for climate change of the People’s Republic of China and John Kerry, US special presidential envoy for climate change among others.

Many cities are reducing per capita emissions at a faster rate than their national governments, and subnational governments have played a critical role in integrated action on climate mitigation and adaptation over the last decade. But with an expected 70% of the global population to live in cities by 2050 and climate-driven natural disasters on the rise, more needs to be done.