Cities and local governments are setting the pace on global climate action, with 58 per cent committing to tougher emissions-reduction targets than their national governments, according to a new report released by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) at COP31 in Türkiye.
The 2026 Impact Report reveals that more than 8,000 local authorities have adopted more ambitious targets than their federal counterparts, while a further 28 per cent aim to reach their goals sooner.
Over the past decade, the GCoM alliance has doubled its membership to encompass more than 14,000 cities and local governments, representing one in seven people globally.
Collectively, signatories have the potential to cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by 4.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, roughly equal to more than four months of global crude oil production.
GCoM Global Ambassador Anne Hidalgo said local authorities continue to push the boundaries of climate and energy delivery.
“Over the last 10 years, cities and local governments have proven that when they lead, the world moves to catch up with them,” Hidalgo said.
“The 2026 GCoM Impact Report is proof that city ambition hasn’t fallen; national commitments have risen.”
The report highlights growing momentum on the ground, with the number of signatories backed by formal net-zero implementation pathways more than doubling from 211 in 2025 to 580 in 2026.
Nearly 7,500 members now have climate action plans in place, while 3,078 cities have completed climate risk assessments, protecting roughly 735 million residents.
However, the alliance warned a severe financing shortfall threatens implementation across vulnerable regions. Of the US$831 billion (AU$1.221 trillion) in annual urban climate finance tracked globally, barely 1 per cent is directed toward adaptation.
Cities in emerging markets and developing economies currently receive around US$6 billion per year, well short of the US$147 billion needed annually by 2030.
To help bridge the divide and turn targets into measurable results, GCoM and its partners also unveiled three new research and policy publications at the summit aimed at unlocking urban climate finance and informing the upcoming IPCC Special Report on Cities.