Why Cities Are the Future of Climate Action

In 2015, the world made history with the Paris Agreement: For the first time, nearly every country in the world committed to work together toward a more climate-resilient and low-carbon future.  This year also marks nearly 10 years since the adoption of the U.N. Habitat’s New Urban Agenda, which set out a shared vision for inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities.  A decade later, the urgency has only grown, and the question is no longer whether we should act, but where action will have the greatest impact. The answer is clear: in cities.  Urban areas generate over 70% of global emissions and account for 75% of primary energy consumption. Yet, cities also account for 80% of the global GDP. Cities are places where people are innovating, adapting, and implementing innovative climate solutions. From Nairobi to São Paulo, local leaders are installing early warning systems, greening streets to cool neighborhoods, and retrofitting homes to withstand heat and floods. These projects are not just about reducing emissions, it’s about giving people the safety, stability, and future they deserve. Cities are also where the climate crisis hits hardest, especially for the more than 1 billion people living in informal settlements and slums. These communities often lack adequate housing, access to basic services, and protection from disasters. As climate risks intensify, so do inequalities. The global housing crisis and climate crisis are deeply intertwined. This also means that these need to be addressed together. There can be no climate justice without urban justice.This is why Brazil’s leadership as host of COP30 in Belém is critical. The Amazon region, often perceived as remote, is in fact profoundly urban. Over 70% of its population lives in cities, and its challenges reflect the global need to align environmental protection with social equity and urban development. Brazil is demonstrating what that alignment could look like. Since 2023, the federal government has committed more than $50 billion to housing, alongside targeted investments for climate risk prevention, like slope stabilization and major drainage works projects, sanitation, and the upgrading of informal settlements. These efforts are part of a comprehensive strategy to expand access to adequate housing, advance the universalization of basic sanitation, and promote social inclusion across Brazilian cities and regions. Read More: The Future of Climate Progress Is Being Built in the Global SouthThis approach is already being replicated globally through the CHAMP initiative—the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships— which has been endorsed by 77 countries to date. It calls on countries to formally include cities and regions in the planning and delivery of national climate commitments. At COP30, we must go one step further: from pledges to implementation. The urgency is clear. From flooding in southern Brazil to droughts once unimaginable in the north, climate extremes are reshaping entire landscapes. In the Amazon region cars now drive over riverbeds where boats once sailed, and families must walk long distances to fetch water. With record heatwaves worldwide, cities are on the frontline of climate impacts. But they are also where solutions can move fastest—if supported with the right tools and resources. Despite their critical role, local governments receive less than 10% of climate finance. Even fewer have the planning capacity, data, or creditworthiness to attract investment. This imbalance must be corrected. We cannot ask cities to deliver without giving them the tools to do so.   To turn ambition into action, Brazil’s Ministry of Cities and UN-Habitat co-convened the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change on Nov. 11. The meeting brought together ministers responsible for housing, urban development, and the environment to engage directly with local and regional governments and global partners, reaffirming the critical importance of local climate action in the spirit of this COP, focused on implementation. Read More: The Future of Climate Leadership Will Be Measured in Resilience Grounded in the work of the COP30 Global Mutirão, the Ministerial Meeting consolidated the outcomes of the four high-level roundtables held in Belém and translated them into a shared set of priorities for multilevel climate action. Participants agreed on the need to strengthen coordination across all levels of government, enhance mechanisms to localize and increase urban components of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and expand access to climate finance for local and regional actors. The discussions underscored localization as the essential bridge connecting the climate and sustainable development agendas, highlighting how local and regional leadership can accelerate delivery of both the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. With the Ministry of Cities, UN-Habitat and ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability is also co-hosting the Cities and Regions Hub, part of the Neighbourhood of the Mutirão for Cities, Water and Infrastructure, a first-of-its-kind shared space at COP that mirrors the interlinked nature of climate challenges and the co-created solutions emerging from cities worldwide.These spaces are anchored in the Brazilian concept of mutirão, a collective effort rooted in Indigenous knowledge, where people come together to build something for the common good. It is the spirit we need to meet this moment. From building climate-resilient housing to investing in public transport and green infrastructure, cities hold up to 40% of the emissions reduction potential needed to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target. We made history in Paris. In Belém, we will bring it home, to the neighbourhoods at the heart of climate action, where people live. And in Baku, at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum in May 2026, we will carry that momentum forward, ensuring cities remain central to climate and development goals for the decade ahead.