The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concluded amidst a swirl of challenges, controversies, and cautious optimism. While participants and media outlets around the world lamented limited achievements as being barely better than no outcome, and that what was achieved was not nearly enough —a closer look reveals important groundwork for local climate action. Crucially, it reinforces the indispensable role of local and regional governments in driving change, particularly when global processes falter.

A summit of struggles

COP29 was held against a backdrop of political, procedural, and environmental turbulence. A host of factors hampered the negotiations:

• Political absences: Many major leaders like the U.S. President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did not attend the summit at all this year, limiting the political buy-in.
• Climate finance gaps: The proposed $300 billion per year by 2035 barely scratches the surface of the estimated $1.3 trillion annually needed to address climate impacts.
• Emissions and adaptation divides: Talks on emissions cuts, mitigation, and the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) protracted amid funding disagreements and unclear progress metrics.
• Escalating climate impacts: From Europe’s devastating floods to extreme weather events globally, the urgency of climate action was palpable.

While the chances to reach an agreement seemed to dwindle as late as the last day of the event, a final late night push resulted in parties agreeing on a $300 billion agreement to support countries in climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. This new finance goal delivered at COP29, despite widely acknowledged to be far from sufficient, will support energy transitions and low-carbon economies. With climate scientists largely agreeing that the 1.5 target is out of reach, the agreement at least sets the stage for further progress in Belém (Brazil) in 2025 and cements the urgent need for intensified action in an international agreement. The COP process remains the only realistic arena for global progress, limited as it may be. Yet, it is not only on national governments to solve the climate crisis, it is ultimately on all of us.

Local governments: Action when it matters most

While national leaders hesitated, cities and regions stepped up. Local and regional governments sent more than 100+ political leaders and mobilised more than 500 delegates to advance city and region climate goals at COP29 underscoring a deep commitment to multilateral processes. Under the theme Building Resilient and Healthy Cities for a Sustainable Future, local leaders participated in the third Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change, emphasising:

• Accelerating inclusive, multilevel, and gender-responsive climate action.
• Financing sustainable urbanisation and climate action at all levels.
• Aligning climate, nature, pollution, and sustainable development agendas.

Across five high-level events, leaders underscored cities’ readiness to innovate, implement, and scale solutions. As Minna Arve, Mayor of Turku (Finland) and Vice President of ICLEI, stated, “We will never give up; you can rely on that. Together, we can do so much better.”

Building on progress: A glimmer of hope

While the outcomes of COP29 fell short of expectations, there are reasons for cautious optimism:

• Landmark acknowledgments: Following COP28’s recognition of local governments, COP29 deepened the focus on multilevel governance, paving the way for collaboration from COP to COP.
• An ambitious NDC: The updated National Determined Contributions (NDCs) to be submitted by parties for COP30 in Brazil next year as agreed under the Paris Agreement are already predicted to fall significantly short of what will be needed. However, Brazil’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) published this year, sets an ambitious example, targeting a 67% emissions reduction by 2035 and integrating subnational governments into national action plans.
• Climate finance clarity: COP29 initiated steps to define the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), a crucial albeit nascent move toward addressing financial disparities.

While leaving Baku with mixed feelings, ICLEI leaders expressed their tentative hopefulness in a joint statement on COP29: “A silver lining from COP29 is the inspiration that we can take from the political consensus and goodwill that exists around the local and subnational climate space. In the context of the contentious negotiations around mitigation agreements at COP29, Parties agreed that their work on buildings and urbanization had been some of the most promising. Let us build on that momentum towards the important mid-year climate conference in Bonn in 2025 and then towards COP30 in Belem.”

A Call to Action

The work of local governments has always been grounded in action, even when global processes falter. Cities and regions cannot afford to wait for perfect agreements—they must lead, innovate, and implement change now.

Let COP29’s imperfect results serve as a foundation, not a finish line. Every step—however small—toward sustainability counts. By aligning local efforts with national and private-sector actions, we can chart a course toward a livable, equitable future for all.

As Ed Miliband, the U.K.’s Energy Secretary was quoted in Politico “... when I was doing this job 15 years ago, 0 percent of the world was committed to net zero. Now, 90 percent of global GDP is committed to net zero. … It’s impossible to pretend that this isn’t also connected to this multilateral process.” Local governments must seize this momentum, amplify their voices, and turn global ambitions into tangible, transformative action.

Together, we build the future

The path to 1.5°C may feel elusive, but it remains within reach. COP30 in Belém will be another critical juncture. Until then, the responsibility rests on all of us to act decisively, especially local leaders, to drive the resilience, innovation, and collaboration needed to secure a sustainable future.

As four of ICLEI’s representatives outlined in an op-ed following COP: “Cities and regions are determined to bridge the multilateral leadership gap between Baku and Belém. We are demonstrating our commitment to climate action, and calling on governments and partners, national and global, to match our ambition.”