Bridging the emissions gap: the role of non-state and subnational actors

The report evaluates the role of cities, regions, companies, and investors in climate mitigation. While the potential for these actors to reduce emissions is vast—potentially up to 15-23 GtCO2 e per year by 2030—their current contribution remains limited. The document highlights a lack of consistent reporting and data, and calls for improved transparency, quantifiable targets, and stronger government support to scale up these efforts.

• A significant number of non-state actors have pledged mitigation action, including over 7,000 cities from 133 countries, 245 regions from 42 countries, and more than 6,000 companies with at least US$36 trillion in revenue.
• Despite the high number of participants, there is substantial room for growth, as less than 20 percent of the global population is represented in current international initiatives.
• The potential for non-state and subnational actors to reduce emissions is considerable, possibly reaching 15-23 GtCO2 e per year by 2030 compared to current policy, which would be critical for maintaining temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius.
• Current actual emission reductions from non-state actors are low compared to national pledges, estimated at 0.2-0.7 GtCO2 e per year by 2030 relative to full Nationally Determined Contribution implementation, or 1.5-2.2 GtCO2 e per year relative to current policy.
• Non-state actors contribute to climate action beyond quantified reductions by building government confidence, pushing for ambitious national goals, providing space for experimentation, and exchanging knowledge and good practices.
• The ability to track global non-state climate action is hindered by a lack of consistent reporting and low levels of available data.
• Green Bond issuance reached just over US$74 billion in the first half of the year, though this remains a small portion of global capital markets.

APA

NewClimate Institute (2018). Bridging the emissions gap: the role of non-state and subnational actors. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/bridging-the-emissions-gap-the-role-of-non-state-and-subnational-actors

Chicago

NewClimate Institute. Bridging the emissions gap: the role of non-state and subnational actors. 2018. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/bridging-the-emissions-gap-the-role-of-non-state-and-subnational-actors.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NewClimate Institute |title=Bridging the emissions gap: the role of non-state and subnational actors |date=11 September 2018 |url=http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/bridging-the-emissions-gap-the-role-of-non-state-and-subnational-actors |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newclimateinstitute2018bridging, author = {{NewClimate Institute}}, title = {{Bridging the emissions gap: the role of non-state and subnational actors}}, institution = {NewClimate Institute}, year = {2018}, month = sep, url = {http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/bridging-the-emissions-gap-the-role-of-non-state-and-subnational-actors}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }