States And Regions Make Progress On Climate Action, New Report Shows

• New report shows that over 100 state and regional governments globally are taking significant action on climate change
• States and regions reporting climate action to CDP and The Climate Group are setting short-term emissions reduction targets in line with a 2 degree world
• In 2017, sub-national governments took 80% more climate actions, across ten sectors, including buildings, energy, transport and land use
• Six state and regional governments have already met or exceeded their 2020 climate targets
• More ambitious 2050 targets are needed if states and regions are to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement
• New global reporting analytics tool launched for state and regional governments environmental impact data to drive transparency and accountability

As thousands meet at the 23rd UN Climate Change Conference to discuss progress on implementing the Paris Agreement, a new report released recently has found that over 100 of the world’s state and regional governments are making significant progress on climate action – particularly in the short-term.

Key findings from The Global States and Regions Annual Disclosure update from The Climate Group and CDP show that sub-national governments took 80% more climate actions in 2017, across ten sectors, including buildings, energy, transport and land use. On average, there was an 8.5% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to the state and regional governments’ base years. The data has been provided by The States and Regions Climate Action Tracker, developed by CDP and The Climate Group in partnership with Climate-KIC.

Six sub-national governments, including Lombardy, Carinthia and Wallonia have already met or exceeded their 2020 climate targets, while four governments including Scotland and Lower Austria, have made great progress and are on track to meet their targets.

The report also found that on average, the ambition of the states and regions’ 2020 targets exceeds that of their national counterparts^*. And while they are on course for limiting global temperature rise to below two degrees by 2020, this is not the case in 2050, which will require states and regions to set more ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group said: “The 2017 Annual Disclosure Update shows that states and regions are now moving into the implementation phase of the Paris Agreement, and are key players in its delivery. Knowing what other governments have done reinforces the case for action, with visible progress being made against headline commitments and targets. This proves that we can continue to raise ambition and drive the world to an under 2 degrees Celsius economy without delay.”

Paul Simpson, CEO, CDP said: “This momentum is both driving up standards of climate leadership and putting transparency and accountability at the heart of government environmental action. Now we need to see longer-term targets from states and regions to ensure their ambition is aligned with limiting global warming to well-below 2 degrees.”

The Climate Group and CDP report is an analysis of the annual disclosure of climate targets, GHG inventories and climate actions from states and regions around the world. It is released together with the States and Regions Climate Action Trackerdeveloped by The Climate Group and CDP in partnership with Climate-KIC Low Carbon City Lab. The tracker contains the latest climate data from disclosing states and regions and showcases their increasingly important role in driving climate action

As we reach a tipping point on global climate action, increased disclosure of environmental data, along with access to States and Regions Climate Action Tracker will help sub-national governments to understand their environmental impact and the risks and opportunities of climate change.

^* This comparison is based on the International Energy Agency scenario which considers commitments by relevant countries to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency.

A full analysis of statistics in the report can be found at TheClimateGroup/Annual-Disclosure

The new analytics tools comprise of:

• The States and Regions Climate Action Tracker features all disclosing state and regional governments, their emission reduction targets and climate actions publicly disclosed to CDP.
• The Sub-national Climate Analytics Navigator is a tool for use by disclosing states and regions. It showcases the latest in disclosure climate related-data, to support decision-making and improve emissions management. In this tool - users get additional insight to disclosed data on risks and adaptation, cities and economic opportunities. Users can also download data.

Find out more about states and regions environmental disclosure.

About The Climate Group
The Climate Group is an award-winning, international non-profit. Our goal is a prosperous, low carbon future. We believe this will be achieved through a ‘clean revolution’: the rapid scale-up of low carbon energy and technology. We work with corporate and government partners to develop climate finance mechanisms, business models which promote innovation, and supportive policy frameworks. We convene leaders, share hard evidence of successful low carbon growth, and pilot practical solutions which can be replicated worldwide.

About CDP
CDP is an international non-profit that drives companies and governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. Voted number one climate research provider by investors and working with institutional investors with assets of US$100 trillion, we leverage investor and buyer power to motivate companies to disclose and manage their environmental impacts. Over 6,300 companies with some 55% of global market capitalization disclosed environmental data through CDP in 2017. This is in addition to the over 500 cities and 100 states and regions who disclosed, making CDP’s platform one of the richest sources of information globally on how companies and governments are driving environmental change. CDP, formerly Carbon Disclosure Project, is a founding member of the We Mean Business Coalition. For more information, visit www.cdp.net.

About Climate-KIC
Climate-KIC is Europe’s largest public-private innovation partnership focused on climate change, consisting of dynamic companies, the best academic institutions and the public sector. Climate-KIC is one of three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) created in 2010 by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The EIT is an EU body whose mission is to create sustainable growth. Climate-KIC supports this mission by addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation.

By integrating education, entrepreneurship and innovation, Climate-KIC delivers connected, creative transformation of knowledge and ideas into economically viable products or services that help to mitigate climate change.