Spotlight on SDG 13 (Climate) and SDG 14 (Oceans)

As the world nears the critical 1.5°C warming threshold, cities are at the forefront of the fight against climate change, driving decarbonisation and building resilience. The diversity of challenges and opportunities across places requires locally tailored solutions and engagement across all levels of government. Several global frameworks have called for greater collaboration on climate action within countries to develop place-based policies. For instance, 10 years ago, the Paris Agreement highlighted the essential role of cities in driving local climate action and fostering partnerships for sustainability. More recently, the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action endorsed by 74 countries, emphasised the importance of co ordinated climate action. Launched at COP28, the OECD’s Territorial Approach to Climate Action and Resilience (TACAR) provides cities and countries with assessment tools and policy guidance to unlock the potential of multi-level climate action. This session will take stock of ongoing efforts and shape ways forward for accelerating the role of cities and regions in the net-zero transition. Mayors and stakeholders will draw lessons from a decade of localising climate action and learn from two new OECD TACAR pilot studies: one focused on the national scale in Japan and the other on the city scale in Yokohama (Japan). These studies showcase the shared commitment to urban climate action. On the road to COP30 and the IPCC’s special report on Cities and Climate Change, the session will also explore how local climate action can be integrated into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and how national governments can empower cities to scale up their efforts.

The blue economy is a major driver of urban and regional development, creating millions of local jobs in sectors such as fisheries, tourism, and shipping. However, it can also contribute to carbon emissions and ecosystem degradation, while its reliance on freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems exposes it to the impacts of climate change. As the places where the blue economy takes place, creates value and provides jobs, cities and regions play a key role in unlocking the potential of a blue economy that preserves the ecosystems that sustain it. A territorial approach – where local governments, businesses and communities work together — can help determine a resilient, inclusive, sustainable and circular blue economy. This session will explore best practices and lessons learned from cities and regions that are leading the way towards resilient, inclusive, sustainable and circular blue economies, to raise their profile on the road to the third United Nations Ocean Conference (9-13 June 2025, Nice, France).