Cities and Climate Change

Climate change has been on the OECD agenda since the late 1980s. As an intergovernmental organisation, the OECD represents 32 member countries committed to common principles to support economic development including social and environmental protection. We help governments to improve their collective and individual performance of climate change policies through peer reviews, dialogue and shared policy assessments. We provide an objective forum, away from international negotiations, for countries to discuss and develop a shared understanding of good practice on climate policy issues.

The OECD is actively working with government to highlight the role of cities in delivering
cost-effective policy responses to climate change. Cities are central to the climate policy challenge. This is because they are home to the majority of global energy use and thus a large source of emissions. Also, their prevalent coastal locations, exposed infrastructure, and large numbers of poor and elderly residents make cities particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, storms and heat waves, all of which are likely to be exacerbated by climate change. Importantly, urban policy provides opportunities to respond to climate change, with the potential to stimulate innovation and advance clean energy systems, sustainable transportation, spatial development and waste management strategies to reduce greenhouse gases. With access to up-to-date climate science, impacts and
vulnerability assessment, local authorities can also work with local stakeholders to design and implement effective adaptation strategies.

This book draws on the findings of a number of projects at the OECD that have advanced the
understanding of the roles that cities can play to respond efficiently and effectively to climate change. It is a joint publication of the Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate and the Environment Directorate of the OECD, and the core of the work was originally published as two working papers: “Competitive Cities and Climate Change”, in the OECD Regional Development Working Papers Series, and “Cities, Climate Change and Multilevel Government”, in the OECD Environmental Working Papers Series.