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Assessing Subnational Climate Action in G-20 Cities and Regions: Progress and Ambition

26 Pages Posted: 8 Apr 2024 Publication Status: Accepted

See all articles by Kaihui Song

Kaihui Song

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Public Policy

Katherine Burley-Farr

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Public Policy

Angel Hsu

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Public Policy; Yale-NUS College; Data-Driven EnviroLab

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Abstract

Cities and regional authorities play a crucial role in driving climate action to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Despite their critical importance, significant obstacles in data collection and variability in implementation complicate the assessment of their contributions. This study provides the largest analysis of climate efforts across more than 3,000 cities and 175 regions within the G20 nations, revealing a noticeable uptick in the adoption of medium- to long-term emission reduction and net-zero targets post-2020. However, over 60% of these subnational entities are failing to meet their climate ambitions, with a larger percentage not achieving the reduction rates necessary to align with the 1.5°C goal. These findings underscore the pressing need for enhanced accountability mechanisms for subnational climate actions. Implementing standardized reporting and boosting transparency are pivotal steps to ensure that local and regional efforts substantively contribute to achieving both national and global climate objectives.

Keywords: Subnational climate action, emission reduction targets, climate policy implementation, climate ambition, science-alignment, G20 nations

Suggested Citation

Song, Kaihui and Burley-Farr, Katherine and Hsu, Angel, Assessing Subnational Climate Action in G-20 Cities and Regions: Progress and Ambition. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4785778 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4785778
This version of the paper has not been formally peer reviewed.

Kaihui Song

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Public Policy ( email )

Katherine Burley-Farr

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Public Policy ( email )

Angel Hsu (Contact Author)

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Public Policy ( email )

Yale-NUS College ( email )

Singapore

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