Are climate summits successful in orchestrating effective subnational action? There is no easy answer to this question. For example, the 27th UN Conference of Parties (COP), billed as the Implementation COP, is making important progress in facilitating dialogue among states and non-state actors—but not enough. Thus far, the only subnational announcement coming out of COP27 commits just $3 million for furthering the subnational cause. Similarly, in ClimateWeek NYC, 60 states and regional governments came together to share experience and boost their leverage. Yet limited calls to action were taken to bolster an integrated role for subnational entities through, for instance, strategic collaborations with peers, the private sector, or financial institutions. Subnational governments remain the local implementors of global climate action, and climate summits could do more to empower the substates. Only then can the international community accelerate emission reduction.
Clima, rafforzare l’azione ‘subnazionale’ (Neelima Jain, CSIS)
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