Stronger NDCs With Cities, States, and Regions: Recommendations for National Governments

The document argues that national governments can increase the ambition and credibility of their NDCs by integrating subnational data, targets, and policies. It emphasizes that since cities are responsible for over 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, multilevel partnerships are essential for achieving net zero emissions and climate resilience. The guide offers eight recommendations across three stages to facilitate subnational participation in the NDC development process, specifically targeting the 2025 deadline set by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

• National governments can increase the ambition and credibility of their NDCs by collaborating with subnational governments to align with Paris Agreement goals, utilizing a process that integrates subnational data, trends, targets, risks, policies, and actions.
• Subnational governments are critical to climate action because cities account for more than 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and 80 percent of global gross domestic product.
• The document proposes a framework for national governments to strengthen NDCs through three primary actions: reviewing current multilevel partnerships and subnational content, planning for collaboration through stakeholder engagement, and developing NDCs that incorporate strong subnational participation.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Stronger NDCs With Cities, States, and Regions: Recommendations for National Governments. https://www.wri.org/research/stronger-ndcs-cities-states-regions-recommendations-national-governments

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Stronger NDCs With Cities, States, and Regions: Recommendations for National Governments. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/stronger-ndcs-cities-states-regions-recommendations-national-governments.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Stronger NDCs With Cities, States, and Regions: Recommendations for National Governments |url=https://www.wri.org/research/stronger-ndcs-cities-states-regions-recommendations-national-governments |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendstronger, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Stronger NDCs With Cities, States, and Regions: Recommendations for National Governments}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/stronger-ndcs-cities-states-regions-recommendations-national-governments}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }