Illuminating the roadmap for research and innovation at the nexus of cities and climate change science, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy released its latest report, “Shared Spaces for Urban Innovation: insights and outcomes from Innovate4Cities Marketplaces” on the sides of the Cities and Regions Summit at the Sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6)
The report packages the knowledge, learning, and practice gained from co-convening Innovate4Cities Marketplaces in 2023 – one global and ten regional editions – which brought together more than 600 participants and 100 speakers across local, regional, and national government, academia, business, and civil society.
Speaking 22 languages across all Innovate4Cities Marketplaces, participants highlighted challenges and opportunities to accelerate city climate action that included the need to strengthen the provision of city-scale data, coping with rapid changes in governance mechanisms, and the value of mainstreaming biodiversity and resilience into local action.
Featuring 66 ‘pitches’ that showcased local challenges and solutions to priority research and innovation gaps, Innovate4Cities Marketplaces informed the report’s three overarching recommendations to:
- Expand and streamline the Global Research and Action Agenda (GRAA) and the City Research and Innovation Agenda (CRIA) by unifying research, policy, and means of implementation – as well as strengthening the inclusion of non-English language knowledge
- Identify and increase knowledge on finance and implementation mechanisms for city climate action
- Better communicate research and innovation at the nexus of cities and climate change science
The report’s findings serve as an actionable pathway to bolster the program, regional diversity, and richness of the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference, set to take place from 10-12 September 2024 in Montréal, Canada – co-hosted by GCoM and UN-Habitat.
Bridging the gap between city climate action and climate science, the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference itself seeks to synthesize the latest knowledge to inform the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, as well as strengthen local pathways to action implementation. Click here to register for the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference.
Download the report below to learn more about key findings from 2023 Innovate4Cities Marketplaces.