A decade after the Paris Agreement, urban climate leadership is driving progress from the ground up
In the last decade, cities, regions, and states have emerged as the driving force behind climate solutions. Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, local leaders have turned promises into progress – cutting emissions, investing in clean transport, expanding urban forests, creating green jobs, and bringing solutions directly to the communities that need them most. Across the globe, from the streets of Bogotá to the world’s largest clean air zone in London, cities are showing the world that a fair, resilient, and sustainable future isn’t just a vision. It’s already underway.
In Quezon City, Philippines, for example, e-vehicles will cut 1.5 tons of CO₂ and nearly all PM2.5 and NOx emissions, two of the most harmful air pollutants, by the end of 2025. Since the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission zone (ULEZ) Londoners have been breathing significantly cleaner air with some of London’s poorest communities experiencing the biggest benefits. A solar farm will power up to 28.000 homes cutting 114.000 tons of annual C0₂ emissions in Cape Town, South Africa. Meanwhile in Colombia, Bogotá’s Bus Rapid Transit transportation service created over 2,000 jobs while connecting people to opportunities in the city. Over 300km of new bike lanes were created in Paris, France, cutting air pollution by 40% in the last decade. And in Los Angeles, a solar energy program installed over 21,000 free panel systems for low-income families, avoiding over 2 million tons of emissions.
Mayors have shown what true leadership looks like: grounded in science, built on implementation, and driven by action. Cities have proven that when empowered and financially supported, they don’t just contribute to global climate goals; they accelerate them. The message heading into COP30 is clear: climate goals will only be met when cities are at the centre of national and global plans. The last decade has shown what’s possible; the next must be about scaling it up. From the ground up, from Paris to Belém.
A global “Mutirão” for climate action
The Brazilian COP30 Presidency has embraced Mutirão as a symbol of this year’s climate conference: a word rooted in the Tupi-Guarani language meaning “collective effort toward a single goal”. More than just a call to cut emissions or meet targets, the Global Mutirão represents a worldwide mobilisation where nations, regions, cities, and communities work together to protect what matters most: people and the planet. This proposed ‘chain of action’ links neighbourhood initiatives to city plans, city plans to national strategies, and national strategies to shared global goals. Driven by this bottom-up approach, the movement seeks to turn climate action from something debated once a year into delivery people can feel every day.
From Paris to Belém: A Decade of Local Climate Leadership
Ten years after the Paris Agreement, cities are proving they’re not just part of the climate solution, they’re driving it. From Paris to Belém – A Decade of Local Climate Leadership, a new report by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) and C40 Cities, launched last month, shows how local action is transforming climate ambition into real change. The report highlights inspiring case studies from cities around the world that have implemented innovative solutions, turning bold climate commitments into tangible action.
Read the full report here and discover how cities are shaping the next decade of climate leadership.