Summary Report of G7 Roundtable Meeting on Subnational Climate Actions

日本語へ

The Ministry of the Environment (MOE), Japan released a summary report on the G7 Roundtable Meeting on Subnational Climate Actions on December 2, 2023, at the UNFCCC COP28.

The Roundtable was held in October 2023 based on the G7 Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment in Sapporo in April. MOE Japan will continue to share the outcome of the Roundtable to the wider international community beyond the G7.

1. About G7 Roundtable on Subnational Climate Action

Cities account for approximately 70 percent of global GHG emissions, and subnational governments are at the forefront of making global efforts to address climate change as well as of adapting to its impacts. The 6th IPCC report (AR6) stated that government actions at subnational, national, and international levels, with civil society and the private sector, play a crucial role in enabling and accelerating shifts in development pathways towards sustainability and climate-resilient development.
At the G7 Sapporo Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment, held in Sapporo on April 15 and 16, 2023, in order to promote climate actions, it was agreed that the Ministers will work closely with subnational governments by, for example, facilitating international city-to-city collaboration, and that we will work with G7 ministers responsible for urban development on net-zero and resilience agenda. In addition, the Ministers established “G7 Roundtable on Subnational Climate Actions” to share national policies and programs promoting subnational climate actions traversing both domestic and international borders, seeking co-benefits and exploring international cooperation.

2. Overview of the side event at COP28

(1) Event name
Triggering an upward spiral towards decarbonization with subnational leaders - from the G7 Roundtable on Subnational Climate Actions

(2) Date and time
December 2, 2023 17:00-18:15 (GMT+4)

(3) Venue
COP28 Japan Pavilion (Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE))

(4) Organizer
Ministry of the Environment

(5) Co-organizer
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan, ICLEI, Governments for Sustainability, Urban 7 (U7), Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)

(6) Key participants

• OGAWA Masako, Deputy-Director General, Global Environment Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan

• Mr. Francesco Corvaro, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Italy

• Ms. Nina Hachigianm, Ambassador, Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy, U.S.

• Dr. Winston Chow, Co-Chair, Working Group II, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

• Mr. SHIMIZU Hayato, Mayor of Saitama City (video message)

• Mr. Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol City, UK

• Mr. Andreas Wolter, Vice Mayor, the City of Cologne, Germany

• Mr. KUBOTA Kazuhiro, Executive Director, International Affairs Department, General Affairs and Planning Bureau, Fukuoka City

• Mr. Emani Kumar, Deputy Secretary-General of ICLEI and Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia

• Ms. Annalidia Pansini, Senior Expert on Climate Change, Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security, Italy

• Ms. Giorgia Rambelli, Director Mission Innovation Urban Transitions Mission, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM)　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

(7) Key points of the side event　

In this side event, the participants discussed the outcome of the G7 Roundtable Meeting held in October 2023 and its future perspectives.

[Outcome of G7 Roundtable]

・ Cities can be an opportunity for deep emissions reductions.

・ Subnational governments play a crucial role in accelerating shifts in development pathways towards the net-zero target.

・ Close cooperation between national and subnational governments, including through support for international city networking, is important.

[Future perspectives]

・ The event discussed expectations on the Roundtable, such as further collaboration with the G7 ministers responsible for urban development, and the summary report compiling the outcomes of the Roundtable Meeting was launched.

・ MOE Japan will share these outcomes with non-G7 countries at various occasions.