Foreword

This report presents the findings from the activities of the OECD Programme on "A Territorial Approach to Climate Action and Resilience”, jointly conducted by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE) and the OECD Environment Directorate (ENV). The Programme provides both national and subnational policymakers with granular data and tailored guidance to promote a place-based approach to climate mitigation and adaptation. Its activities include:

  • measuring where cities and regions stand vis-à-vis global targets on climate change using the OECD territorial climate indicator framework,

  • assessing national and subnational policies by applying a checklist to implement a territorial approach to climate and resilience initiatives, and

  • supporting multi-level dialogue within and between countries to enhance co-ordinated action and disseminate best practices.

The report presents a set of 45 territorial climate indicators that are comparable across countries and levels of government, 9 recommended actions with a number of sub-actions, and a compendium of 36 leading practices from cities, regions and countries from across the globe.

The report aims to serve as a source of information and analysis for policymakers and professionals in the field of climate change as well as urban, rural and regional development, as it compiles the latest data and statistics on local greenhouse gas emissions and emission reduction potential, information on locally specific impacts and risks of climate change, and ongoing leading mitigation practices both at the national and subnational levels.

The report serves the 2023-24 Programme of Work and Budget of the OECD Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC) and the OECD Environment Policy Committee (EPOC). It is also a contribution to the OECD Horizontal Project on Climate and Economic Resilience (Net Zero+), an OECD-wide flagship initiative to support governments in driving the swift transformational change needed to tackle climate change.

This publication was approved by the RDPC on 13 November 2023 and was reviewed by the EPOC and its Working Party for Climate Change.

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