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G7 Roundtable on Subnational Climate Actions
Sapporo, Hokkaido, April 16, 2023
[pdf]
Subnational governments refer to all levels of governments other than national governments including regions, provinces, territories, states, counties, cities and towns. Subnational climate actions include those for adaptation and mitigation taken by subnational governments in collaboration with other stakeholders and partners.
As confirmed in the following communiqué and other output documents, subnational governments play a crucial role as drivers of transformation for net zero emissions and therefore are becoming more important than ever to achieve national and international goals of net zero emissions and climate resilience. Multi-level actions by relevant stakeholders including subnational governments and administrations themselves, as well as national governments, civil society organisations, business sectors, citizens and other key partners including Indigenous Peoples are crucial in advancing subnational climate actions.
The twenty seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, adopted the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan, which recognizes the important role of non-Party stakeholders including cities and civil society, in addressing and responding to climate change and highlights the urgent need for multilevel and cooperative action in this regard.
In the Communiqué of the G7 Toyama Environment Ministers’ Meeting held in 2016, we reaffirmed the importance of the role of cities and subnational actors in sustainable development and addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
In the Communiqué of the G7 Climate and Environment Ministers’ Meeting held in 2021, we recognised the importance of working closely with city, state and regional governments in driving the transition to a net zero economy, and the vital role of national governments to support such actions.
In the Communiqué of the G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers’ Meeting held in 2022, we acknowledged the important role of cities, regions and local governments in implementing a just climate and energy transition and in making the transition socially acceptable in the context of local needs and environmental conditions. We further committed to facilitate international city-to-city collaboration towards decarbonisation. We also championed the active involvement, consultation, leadership and participation in climate, energy and environment decision-making from all groups of society, Indigenous Peoples, women and girls, people with disabilities and their representative organisations, local communities, low-income communities and marginalised populations.
The Communiqué of G7 the Ministerial Meeting for Urban Development held in 2022 states that cities and urban areas are critical global systems to combat the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and commit to support the implementation of the action-oriented approaches in urban development policy, including strengthening dialogue between local and national levels.
The 2023 U7 Mayors Declaration states sustainable urban development as the engine for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and facing the global climate emergency. The U7 Group calls the G7 to engage local governments actively in the global stocktake of the Paris Agreement towards and at COP28 in Dubai as an opportunity to embrace multilevel climate action as the new normal in the 2nd Phase of the Paris Agreement and rapidly raise ambitions regarding Nationally Determined Contributions through the transformative power of sustainable urbanization.
Especially, cities, which account for approximately 70% of global GHG emissions[1] and two-thirds of global energy consumption, are at the forefront of making global efforts for transition to decarbonization. In addition, cities, which are home to 50% of the global population with the projected increase to two-thirds by 2050, are also highly vulnerable to the potential impacts of climate change and subnational actors are important drivers in climate resilient development pathways. The third part of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report highlights that urban areas can create opportunities to significantly reduce GHG emissions through the systemic transition of infrastructure and urban form through low-emission development pathways towards net-zero emissions.
In light of these, we reaffirm the vital role of national governments, jointly with local and regional institutions, in promoting and supporting subnational climate actions. National and international policies and programs can help subnational governments address challenges in taking their climate actions, build on their leadership and ongoing efforts, raise their local ambitions or upscale them to national levels or beyond, and promote adoption of best practices across the country and beyond. Despite different governance systems among G7 members, we have significant sets of policies and programs supporting subnational climate actions, both domestically and internationally, which are worth sharing and peer learning for further improvement.
With this in mind, we establish a G7 Roundtable on Subnational Climate Actions to promote multilevel cooperation between national and subnational governments as well as enhance collaboration among G7 in international cooperation.
Focusing on the vital role that national governments play in assisting and expanding subnational climate actions, the roundtable is for G7 members to enhance mutual learning and policy improvement through sharing their policies and programmes at the national level, including jointly implemented with the local and regional institutions, in promoting subnational climate actions (i) in their respective countries (domestic policies and programmes) and (ii) outside of G7 member countries (international cooperative programmes). It also explores opportunities for international cooperative actions among G7 members including facilitating city-to- city collaboration.
The scope of policies and programmes to be shared may include, but is not limited to, those pursued by national governments on adaptation and mitigation, with a focus on policy tools for legal, technical, or financial assistance and capacity building initiatives for subnational governments.
The roundtable consists of representatives of national governments from G7 members. Representatives of U7 are invited to the roundtable meeting. G7 members can also nominate other representatives of subnational governments and/or other partners in respective countries to the roundtable meeting if deemed appropriate.
Under the Japan G7 presidency, the roundtable meeting will be organised in mid- 2023 with the aim to share national policies and programmes promoting subnational climate actions.
Discussions at the roundtable will be compiled into a summary report to be published at COP28 to the UNFCCC with the aim to disseminate its outputs to the wider international community including G20.
| Country | Domestic policies and programmes | International cooperative programmes |
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Canada |
The Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change (PCF), established in 2016, is a collaborative agreement between federal, provincial, and territorial governments that seeks to reduce emissions in line with Canada’s international climate change targets and build resilience to adapt to a changing climate. The PCF provides provinces and territories flexibility to develop their own policies and programs, supported by key federal investments, such as the Low Carbon Economy Fund, which also supports the low-carbon economy transition of municipalities, businesses, and Indigenous Peoples, among others. Canada’s first National Adaptation Strategy (NAS), released in November 2022, was developed with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Indigenous Peoples, and other key partners, and reflects a shared vision for climate resilience in Canada, identifying key priorities for increased collaboration and establishing a framework for measuring progress at the national level. The Government of Canada also invests in projects in communities, such as through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, to build solutions to mitigate climate impacts such as flooding, wildfires and drought; the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program to support lower carbon, more resilient, and higher performing publicly accessible buildings; and the Natural Infrastructure Fund and Natural Climate Solutions Fund for projects and initiatives that use nature-based solutions to protect the natural environment, reduce pollution, enhance biodiversity and habitats. |
Canada, alongside the United Kingdom, co-chairs the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), which is the driving force behind global efforts to phase out unabated coal power. To date, the PPCA includes more than 165 members, including national and subnational governments, businesses, and financial institutions. The PPCA helps to amplify the efforts of subnational members to phase out unabated coal power generation, including by highlighting their work through reports and events, as well as sharing knowledge to support the transition from coal to clean power systems. Canada has also launched the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge (GCPC), which aims to triple the coverage of carbon pricing around the world to reach 60% of global GHG emissions by 2030. The GCPC is a partnership of carbon pricing champions committed to supporting the expansion of carbon pricing by strengthening domestic systems and supporting jurisdictions in developing new pricing systems. As well, through its $5.3 billion climate finance commitment, Canada has announced a number of initiatives that support multilevel actions by a variety of stakeholders. For example, at COP27, Canada committed $10 million to Promoting Climate Smart Agriculture and Agro-biodiversity for Enhancing Adaptive Capacity of Vulnerable Rural Communities in Old and New Lands of Upper and Lower Egypt. This initiative is expected to benefit over 8,000 smallholder farmers and 144 locally based organizations, including government ministries, academic institutions and local organizations by supporting climate-smart agriculture and agriculture biodiversity practices in Aswan, Beheira, and Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt. |
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France |
The central government, the meteorological service and state agencies provide climate data at the local scale (8 km*8 km) via the DRIAS platform, simplified information on climate change at the regional scale via Climat HD, at the municipal scale via Climadiag Commune and operates The Resource Centre for Adaptation to Climate Change, which is positioned as a single point of information, redirecting local authorities to all the data and methods proposed on the subject of adaptation to climate change. Climate and energy observatories set up on a voluntary basis in different regions also provide territorial actors with climate change indicators and examples of adaptation actions. It is also planned to train at least 30,000 mayors in the challenges of ecological transition on the basis of a successful pilot training course on adaptation for local elected officials held in September 2022. A fund to accelerate the ecological transition in the territories, known as the "Green Fund", with €2 billion in 2023 from the State and €1.2 billion from the Bank of the territories, has been set up to help all local authorities and their groupings, both in mainland France and in the French Overseas Territories, to improve their environmental performance, to adapt their territory to climate change and to improve their living environment. These data, indicators, methods and financial resources are meant to help local authorities that have legal obligations to adapt (Regions and inter-municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants) and to encourage all local authorities to launch ambitious strategies, plans and projects. |
France has been involved for many years in numerous international partnerships with the aim to have mutual exchanges of knowledge and to promote France’s expertise in terms of sustainable cities and territories, particularly in the fields of planning, urban renewal and governance. The deployment of the EcoQuartier Label illustrates it, with a reference framework and a process that can be adapted to all contexts. These partnerships also rely on the France Ville Durable association, whose vocation is to promote abroad the know-how of public and private players as well as to facilitate exchanges locally. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) also provides support for local authorities in terms of mitigation and adaptation, using various levers, such as:
Territorial leadership: Go beyond the local authority’s perimeter of “patrimony and competences” to involve other territorial actors (e.g. call for projects on climate change adaptation such as the one drawn up by the City of Paris). |
Germany |
The Federal Climate Protection Act (KSG) – sets binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas. It also addresses subnational entities. Climate Action Plan 2050 – The government's overarching mitigation strategy, which also addresses subnational entities. The Climate Action Programme 2030 contains the measures needed to achieve the defined aims for 2030. National Climate Initiative (NKI) – funding programme that focuses on local authorities in implementing climate protection measures. Urban Development Support programme – funding programme of federal level, state level and municipalities that supports urban development projects. Energy-efficient Urban Redevelopment – supports energy upgrading of entire urban areas. Federal Consulting agencies – support and advice subnational entities in implementing climate protection measures. Adaptation of Urban Spaces to Climate Change programme – investment programme which supports the development and modernisation of the blue-green infrastructure. Climate Change Adaptation Centre – supports municipalities and social institutions providing practical advice and information. German Adaptation Strategy funding programme – funds for climate change adaptation managers to secure their expertise. Climate change adaptation in social institutions – funding programme for municipalities and welfare associations. Federal Action Plan on Nature-based Solutions for Climate and Biodiversity – strengthens ecosystems and unites climate action and nature conservation on federal and sub-national level. |
Germany has a comprehensive bi- und multilateral programme portfolio on climate change and subnational climate action. Relevant global programmes are:
The sub-national level is also considered in many projects that aim at strengthening adaptation to climate change measures in partner countries. Germany has several Partnerships and collaboration with city-networks, networks of subnational regions and municipalities to address shared challenges of climate action incl. exchange of knowledge innovative solutions. |
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Italy |
Two Roundtables are active at Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) for the NSDS application at subnational levels. All Regions and the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano – Alto Adige are currently working on their own Strategies for Sustainable Development. Some of them developed Climate Adaptation strategies. All Metropolitan Cities are also committed on the elaboration of Metropolitan Agendas for Sustainable Development. These initiatives are integrated with programmes on sustainable mobility: National Experimental Programme of Sustainable Home-School and Home-Work Mobility on car-pooling, car/bike-sharing, pedestrian routes, mobility vouchers; Sustainable Urban Mobility Incentive Programme (PrIMUS); Programme for the promotion of sustainable school transport on promoting the use of hybrid or electric vehicles. An important role is played by civil society: the Green City Network-more than 300 cities and 80 experts from Academia/Research center-promotes carbon neutrality. Moreover, many innovative initiatives are led by the cities themselves: Bologna and Milano have adopted an innovative approach for the involvement of citizens in the energy transition with the creation of the “Citizens' Assembly” and “Permanent Citizens' Climate Assembly” respectively. Prato, the largest textile center in Europe, is promoting innovative projects on circular economy such as “Prato Circular City (PCC) and the industrial symbiosis for textile district. The role of the innovative financing mechanism is crucial: the Milano Transition Fund for the creation of central public-aligned entity that combines public and private finance to deliver Green Neighbourhoods. |
The Digital Demand-Driven Electricity Network Initiative (3DEN), coordinated by IEA and financially supported by MASE, is working to accelerate progress on power system modernisation and effective utilisation of distributed energy resources through policy, regulation, technology and investment guidance at local level. 3DEN has a global focus. Initial geographic priorities include Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia, and critical regions like Latin America, Africa and ASEAN. On 2022 has been launched a testing phase at local level, in collaboration with UNEP, through pilot projects in Brasil, Colombia, India and Morocco. In the framework the European initiative 'Mission 100 climate neutral and smart cities 2030', the 9 Italian cities selected (Bergamo, Bologna, Firenze, Milano, Padova, Parma, Prato, Roma e Torino) have created a formal national platform, open to collaboration with the national central administrations and other European cities and supported from the European commission through the Net Zero Cities project. |
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Japan |
The Regional Decarbonization Roadmap was formulated in 2021, based on which the national and subnational governments work together to promote regional decarbonisation that will be a growth strategy for regions, including not only urban but also rural areas. The national government provides a comprehensive support to subnational governments, in terms of human, technical and financial resources. Based on the roadmap, Japan will designate at least 100 areas as "Decarbonization Leading Areas", aiming to achieve regional revitalisation as well as carbon neutrality by 2030, ahead of the national target year of 2050, and replicate these leading models to other areas for making "decarbonisation domino effect" across the country. These initiatives are also integrated with other initiatives at the subnational level including the Vision for a Digital Garden City Nation, which aims to resolve local challenges through the use of digital technologies. Japan Green Investment Corp. for Carbon Neutrality (JICN), a public-private investment fund, provides financial supports to a variety of decarbonization projects aiming to boost the investment from the private sector. Prefectural and municipal governments, including government ordinance-designated cities, are required to strive to (1) formulate Local Climate Change Adaptation Plans and (2) establish Local Climate Change Adaptation Centers. The Ministry of the Environment, in collaboration with the National Institute for Environmental Studies, supports their local activities by publishing manuals, dispatching specialists, and collecting/providing information on the impact and adaptation of climate change. The government also proposes a bill to the National Parliament to encourage actions against heat illness by municipal governments. |
With a view to spread "decarbonisation domino effect" abroad, Japan supports the City-to-city Collaboration Programme, in which Japanese cities transfer their knowledge and experience on decarbonisation/adaptation in partnership with private solution providers, which leads to net-zero ambitions, implementation of action plans and regulations, and application of decarbonised/ climate resilient infrastructure in partner cities. In addition, Japan holds a Zero Carbon City International Forum for encouraging net-zero commitments and sharing leading cases of subnational climate actions, based on the Japan-US Global Subnational Zero Carbon Promotion Initiative launched in COP26. Japan also holds the Quad Workshop on Subnational Climate Action with Australia, India and the US, based on the Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP) launched in May 2022. The JICA Clean City Initiative is another support programmes for cities initiated in 2022 to co-create tailored solutions for realisation of clean cities in partner countries. Under the Japan G7 Presidency, MOEJ and JICA launch a new program, namely Clean Cities Partnership Program (C2P2) in 2023 to mobilize engagement of multi- stakeholders on target cities and provide a comprehensive and synergetic support to urban agenda including climate change, environmental pollution and circular economy. |
The European Union |
The EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy brings together thousands of local governments that voluntarily commit to implementing EU climate and energy objectives. The initiative has been designed to provide local governments, in highly diversified national contexts, with a framework for their local energy and climate action. The Horizon Europe Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities involves local authorities, citizens, businesses, investors as well as regional and national authorities to 1) deliver 100 climate- neutral and smart cities by 2030; 2) ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050. The Green City Accord is a movement of European mayors committed to making cities cleaner and healthier. By signing the Accord, cities commit to addressing five areas of environmental management: air, water, nature and biodiversity, circular economy and waste, and noise. |
The Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) is the largest global alliance for city climate leadership, uniting over 12,500 cities and local governments and 100+ supporting partners. GCoM serves cities and local governments by mobilising and supporting ambitious, measurable, planned climate and energy action in their communities by working with city/regional networks, national governments, and other partners to achieve a net-zero vision. International Urban Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC): city-to- city collaboration between EU cities and cities worldwide. IURC leads and develops a form of decentralised international urban and regional cooperation whose main axes of activity are two-fold: sustainable urban development and innovation in key partner countries and regions. Mission Innovation is a global initiative to catalyse action and investment in research, development and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible to all this decade. This will accelerate progress towards the Paris Agreement goals and pathways to net zero. With financial support from the EU from 2021 to 2024, the Smart Green ASEAN Cities (SGAC) programme assists ASEAN member states in anticipating the substantial pressure from high urbanisation rates by focusing on green and smart solutions through digitalisation and the use of technologies. Cities and Climate in Africa (CICLIA) Project in Sub-Saharan Africa is a facility to support cities in transforming local climate strategies into action plans, budgets, and urban investment projects with climate co-benefits on both mitigation and adaptation aspects. |
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The United Kingdom |
The UK Government is working closely across all levels of government and with Devolved Administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to reduce emissions and deliver net zero, as set out in The Net Zero Strategy. This includes: Establishing a Local Net Zero Forum to bring together national and local government senior officials on a regular basis to discuss policy and delivery options on net zero. To date, the Forum has held three meetings. Funding five Local Net Zero Hubs in each region of England which support local authorities to develop net zero projects and attract commercial investment. Funding work to develop business models to increase private sector investment in local net zero. The UK Government has also committed up to £104 million of funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to Prospering from the Energy Revolution (PFER). This is an innovation programme which develops smart local energy systems to provide investable, scalable local business models and finance mechanisms using integrated approaches to deliver cleaner, cheaper energy services. Through PFER and the Local Net Zero Hubs, we have developed Net Zero Go, an online platform to offer practical support to help more councils deliver clean energy projects that help meet net zero targets, and support a homegrown, secure UK energy system. The government has also established the UK Infrastructure Bank with an initial £12 billion of capital for the twin goals of tackling climate change and levelling up. This includes a loan facility for local government. |
Bristol and Glasgow are participating in the EU’s Net Zero Cities Horizon Programme - Net Zero Cities is a four-year project designed to help cities overcome the current structural, institutional, and cultural barriers they face in order to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. Several UK cities are involved in The Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM), the largest global alliance for city climate leadership across the globe. The United Kingdom, alongside Canada, co-chairs the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), which is the driving force behind global efforts to phase out unabated coal power. To date, the PPCA includes more than 165 members, including national and subnational governments, businesses, and financial institutions. The PPCA helps to amplify the efforts of subnational members to phase out unabated coal power generation, including by highlighting their work through reports and events, as well as sharing knowledge to support the transition from coal to clean power systems. |
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The United States of America |
The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) expands tax credits for energy efficient commercial buildings, new energy efficient homes, and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The IRA and the U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) include billions of dollars in grants and loans to cities and states to spur financing and deployment of new clean energy and transportation projects. U.S. EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program offers free tools, data and technical expertise about energy strategies, including energy efficiency, renewable energy and other emerging technologies, to help state, local and tribal governments achieve their environmental, energy and economic objectives. Launched by President Biden, the National Building Performance Standards Coalition comprises a nationwide group of state and local governments that have committed to inclusively design and implement building performance policies and programs in their jurisdictions. The U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Transportation’s Joint Office of Energy and Transportation provides technical assistance, analysis, and support to states and localities to help modernize the nation’s transportation system and give Americans the option to choose electric vehicles and save money fueling their vehicles. The U.S. Center for Disease Control’s Climate-Ready States and Cities Initiative (CRSCI) is helping grant recipients from 11 jurisdictions use the five-step Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework to identify climate impacts in their communities, potential health effects associated with these impacts, and their most at-risk populations and locations. |
At COP 27, the United States launched the Subnational Climate Action Leaders’ Exchange (SCALE), a new initiative to support cities, states, and regions around the world in the development and implementation of net-zero, climate- resilient targets and roadmaps. It will connect local leaders with tools and resources to take ambitious climate action across key sectors, starting with an initial focus on methane reduction. Together with Japan, the U.S. organizes the Zero Carbon City International Forum to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practices on urban climate action. The U.S. (along with Canada, Germany, and the UK) supports the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, which, among its work to support developing countries advance their NAP process, provides technical assistance for subnational climate adaptation plans aligned with national adaptation plans. The U.S. (along with the UK) supports the Least Developed Countries Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR), an initiative working to create national mechanisms in LDCs to channel funding to the local level to advance locally led adaptation. The U.S. supports the Local2030 Islands Network, an island-led initiative that brings together sustainable development practitioners in small islands through communities of practice to advance resilience planning in varied subnational contexts and sectors. |
[1] In 2020, urban emissions were estimated to be 29 GtCO2-eq (67–72% of the global share) (IPCC, 2022) ↩
Source: Ministry of the Environment, Japan
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