COP31 Panel: Local Governments Hold Climate Levers but Lack Funding
COP 31 Special Events • United NationsNovember 13, 2026
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National climate pledges rise or fall on what happens in city halls, state capitols and regional ministries. At a Nov. 13, 2026, COP31 side event, researchers and government officials argued that subnational governments control the levers of delivery but get little of the money. The panel also showcased tools meant to stitch fragmented climate and nature plans back together.
- Less than 40% of 1,200 G20 cities and regions are on track with climate goals, panelists said
- Subnational governments carry about 60% of climate public spending in OECD and EU countries
- First joint national-subnational statement at a COP signals shifting status for local governments
- Five-step checklist from GIZ, WWF and IISD helps align climate, biodiversity and land plans
- Climate Policy Radar launches subnational library covering 130 states, provinces and regions
Local Governments Move From Margins to Center
The panel, "Policy coherence in practice: tools to connect climate and nature action across levels of government," opened with a central argument. National targets mean little without the governments that manage land use, transport and water.
Joanna Setzer of the London School of Economics Grantham Research Institute traced how subnational governments went from marginal players in UN climate talks to co-signers. She pointed to a joint national-subnational statement released two days before the panel as a first for a COP. The statement, she said, recognized that "national climate ambition can only work if every level of government is part of delivering."
The basics: Nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, are the climate plans each country submits under the Paris Agreement. They set national targets, but many of the actions needed to meet those targets fall to states, provinces and cities.
Why it matters: Subnational governments carry about 60% of climate public spending in OECD and EU countries, according to the panel. Yet panelists said only about 3% of global climate finance went to adaptation in 2023, the work of preparing communities for heat, flooding and drought.
Where things stand: Setzer said about 80% of NDCs now include urban content, a sign that national planners recognize cities' role. She described a mismatch between that recognition and where funding flows. Fewer than 40% of 1,200 G20 cities and regions are on track to meet their goals, she said.
Namkhainyam Rinchen Mandag, Director General of the Policy and Planning Department at Mongolia's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, described the national-level view of the same gap. He said the hard part is turning national commitments into local action and investment.
From Mexico, Andrés of Puebla described a different approach. Mexico is consulting across multiple states as it develops a new general climate law, he said, building subnational input into national legislation from the start.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The session was informational, and no votes were taken. For regional and municipal officials, the panel's data offers ammunition for seeking a larger share of climate finance and a formal seat in national planning. For national ministries, the message was that NDC targets depend on local governments they often don't fund.
What's next: Panelists did not announce a specific follow-up for the joint statement. The Mexico climate law consultation is ongoing.
A Checklist to Untangle Overlapping Plans
Countries write separate plans for climate, biodiversity and land under three UN treaties. Clemens of GIZ, Germany's international development agency, said those plans are often siloed, with data gaps and duplicated work.
The basics: The three Rio Conventions cover climate change (UNFCCC), biodiversity and desertification (UNCCD). Each generates its own national plans. NDCs and national adaptation plans (NAPs) fall under the climate treaty, and national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) fall under the biodiversity treaty.
Why it matters: Fragmented planning duplicates effort and adds reporting burden for governments with limited staff. Aligned plans could reduce that load, the panel said.
Where things stand: GIZ, WWF and IISD developed a five-step checklist. The steps are:
- Assessment
- Goal setting
- Identifying overlaps
- Finance and implementation
- Monitoring and reporting
The checklist is in use in Mozambique and Sierra Leone. Clemens said an assessment in Mongolia found duplication across plans and room to reduce reporting burden.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Environment and planning ministries stand to benefit most, especially smaller agencies juggling parallel reporting obligations. Conservation and climate groups gain a common framework for spotting where nature and climate goals reinforce or undercut each other.
What's next: The partners plan to add UNCCD land degradation neutrality targets to the checklist. Land degradation neutrality is the goal of offsetting land lost to degradation with restoration. They also plan to publish a how-to guide.
Open Data Tool Maps Laws Across 130 Jurisdictions
Michal Nachmani, founder and CEO of Climate Policy Radar, chaired the session. She presented her nonprofit's free database of more than 36,000 climate documents.
Why it matters: Free, searchable data lets governments compare policies across jurisdictions and languages without paywalls. That matters for subnational officials who often lack research budgets.
Where things stand: The database covers:
- National laws
- UNFCCC and Rio Convention submissions
- Multilateral fund projects
- Climate litigation
- Climate committee reports
It also auto-translates documents. A new subnational library launched Nov. 12, 2026, and covers 130 states, provinces and regions. The organization also launched a library of nature-related laws and policies.
Nachmani demonstrated a prototype question-answering tool that is not yet public. In one example, the tool found that all 19 Mexican states in the database mention biodiversity in their policies. She noted that the tool displays the assumptions behind each answer.
The other side: In opening remarks, Barbara of the UN Climate Change Secretariat cautioned against treating any toolkit as a fix. "Tools cannot replace political leadership, institutional coordination, inclusive participation, finance, or capacity," she said.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Researchers, advocates and government staff gain a no-cost way to benchmark policies. Litigators gain the same access. Subnational governments gain visibility in a global dataset long weighted toward national policy.
What's next: Climate Policy Radar plans to add natural-language question answering to the public platform. The organization did not give a launch date.
Looking Ahead
No motions or votes were taken. For local officials and advocates, the practical takeaways are concrete. The GIZ-WWF-IISD checklist will expand to cover land degradation targets and add a how-to guide. Climate Policy Radar's new subnational library is available now. Watch whether the joint national-subnational statement turns into dedicated finance for the cities and regions panelists said are falling behind.