The CDP report “Cities on the Route to 2030” synergises data received by 812 cities to assess the state and trends of subnational climate action.

CDP is a non-profit environmental disclosure organisation for non-state actors such as cities, regions and companies. Together, the disclosing companies and cities represent 50 % of the global market capitalisation and a population of over 2.6 billion, according to the CDP. The report, focused on cities, takes stock of the last decade of disclosure within the ICLEI-CDP Unified Reporting System, set up in 2010. In total, 812 cities have reported on their environmental impacts, tools and policies in 2020, up from 48 cities in 2011.

Key figures

• 67 % of cities have city-wide emissions inventories. 42 % have a city-wide emissions reduction target and 148 cities report targets aligned with the 1.5°C objective.
• 59 % of cities have conducted climate risk and vulnerability assessments and 93 % report facing significant climate risks. This may particularly increase risks for already vulnerable populations, which 74 % of cities expect to increase.
• 43 % do not have an adaptation plan yet, with  25 % of cities citing budgetary capacity issues as barriers to adaptation.
• 87 % of cities are incorporating sustainability into master planning. Cities who do so are more than twice as likely to identify opportunities from addressing climate change. They are moreover five times more likely to reduce emissions than cities who do not incorporate sustainability.
• Regarding climate action by sector, 50 % of the disclosing cities were optimising energy use in buildings, 42 % are working on low-carbon mobility, 34 % on the decarbonisation of the electricity grid and one-third of the cities are improving waste management.