Why COP30 must ramp up climate finance for cities

Cities are where the climate and nature crises will be won or lost. Home to nearly two-thirds of the global population and generating almost three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions, cities are pivotal to climate action.

When COP30 convenes in the Brazilian city of Belém this November, it must elevate cities from the margins to the centre of global climate negotiations. After all, cities are not only engines of decarbonisation and hubs of innovation—they are also the frontline of climate resilience.

For years, urbanisation was largely absent from the formal stages of climate diplomacy. This began to shift at COP21 in Paris, when an agreement formally recognised the role of subnational governments in achieving emissions targets and climate adaptation goals. A Paris Pledge further amplified city voices in global climate dialogues.

Since then, city advocates have assumed an increasingly prominent role. At COP29 in Baku, cities took center stage.  

Over 160 governments endorsed the Multisectoral Action Pathways (MAP) Declaration, committing to more inclusive urban planning, sustainable mobility, green jobs, and nature-positive infrastructure. Development banks pledged US$120 billion in urban infrastructure financing by 2030, a meaningful step, though still far short of what cities require.

The rising presence of mayors and urban networks in climate diplomacy reflects a broader transformation in global governance. Today, urban economies generate over 80 per cent of global GDP and consume more than 75 per cent of all energy. And leading city networks, such as C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, are mobilising thousands of municipalities to ramp-up action.

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Elevating cities to the center of both the negotiation and implementation agendas is essential to delivering a just and actionable response to the climate crisis for the billions who live in cities.

Yet urban ambition continues to outpace available financing. Most multilateral funding is still routed through national governments, and cities, especially in lower- and middle-income countries, often lack the regulatory authority, planning capacity, and creditworthiness needed to attract private investment.

This creates a bottleneck, particularly where irregular urban expansion meets acute climate vulnerability.