The States and Regions Climate Action Tracker – developed by CDP and The Climate Group, in partnership with Climate-KIC’s flagship initiative the Low Carbon City Lab – features all disclosing state and regional governments, their emissions reduction targets and climate actions publicly disclosed to CDP.

The tool is aimed at profiling the increasingly important role of state and regional governments in understanding their environmental impact and meeting international climate change commitments. The Tracker will also demonstrate how climate data is fundamental to stabilizing GHG emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and transitioning to a cleaner, more prosperous future for all.

Increased disclosure of climate-related data, along with access to States and Regions Climate Action Tracker, will support sub-national governments in understanding their environmental impact and the risks and opportunities associated with climate change.

The launch comes as thousands of delegates meet at the COP23 conference to assess the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and coincides with a new report which finds that over 100 of the world’s state and regional governments are forging ahead on climate action.

The report – Annual Disclosure 2017 – was produced by The Climate Group with CDP shows 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 report also found that the ambition of the states and regions’ 2020 targets exceeds that of their national counterparts* and that they are on course to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement by 2020. However, this is not the case for their 2050 targets, which need to be more ambitious if global temperature rise is to be limited to below two degrees.

Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group said: “The 2017 Annual Disclosure Update shows that states and regions are now moving into the implementation 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.”

A second tool – the Sub-national Climate Analytics Navigator – will be launched on Thursday November 16 for use by disclosing states and regions showcasing the latest in disclosure climate data, to support decision-making and improve emissions management.

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

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