The Montréal Call to Action on Cities, Climate Research and Governance was launched at the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference in Montréal, Canada as a major conference outcome. The Montréal Call to Action is supported by over 100 practitioners from business, research and civil society.

The Call to Action aims to accelerate climate action by making science, knowledge and innovation available to support stronger, more ambitious and widespread collaboration between subnational (cities, towns, states and regions) and national governments. 

Subnational action is critical in tackling the climate crisis. Based on current targets and actions, Global Covenant of Mayors signatory cities could collectively achieve the equivalent of 10% of the emissions reduction needed globally to keep global temperatures from rising above 1.5oC by 2030.

Signatories of the Montréal Call to Action have pledged to share their knowledge, research and best practices to support innovative local climate action.

They urge national governments to realise the potential of this knowledge by engaging researchers, financing local climate projects and including subnational governments in climate planning and strategies. This includes fully implementing the CHAMP initiative agreed at COP28. 

The CTA comes at a critical moment, ahead of COP29 and the deadline for national climate plans to be finalised – a process that will shape climate ambition for the next five years, and the future of our world.

Gregor Robertson, GCoM Global Ambassador and Special Envoy for Cities in CHAMP said “This Call to Action is a strong endorsement from a knowledgeable community of practitioners for greater collaboration between subnational and national leaders. Ensuring all levels of government can work well together is critical”