“Roles of multi-stakeholders towards subnationaldecarbonization’”Side Event on Decarbonized City at the Japan Pavilion
at COP26
10 November, 2021

A TERRITORIAL APPROACH
TO CLIMATE ACTION ANDRESILIENCE
Aziza Akhmouch
Head of Cities, Urban Policies and Sustainable Development Division,
Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities@OECD_local

www.linkedin.com/company/oecd-local

www.oecd.org/cfe

Climate action: a shared responsibility
across levels of government• OECD regions and cities– 60% total public investment– 55% & 64% climate-related spending &investment, respectively

Proportion of urban mitigation potential over which different levels ofgovernment have main authority

e.g. municipal
waste, land use• 90% urban emissions can be cut by 2050(+ 87 million jobs in 2030 and 45 million
jobs in 2050) but coordination needed• Key rural areas: energy, land-use &natural resources, ecosystem services

e.g. railways,
heating/coolingappliances© OECD | Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities | @OECD_Local |Source: CUT (2019)e.g. fuelstandards

1 While COVID-19 had asymmetrical impacts across territories,

6 Digitalisation triggers a new relationship to productivity,

2 The health crisis & turned into an unprecedented economic &social shock, with varying capacities to rebound from cities

7 The “Zoom effect” and the “Greta effect” have accelerated

3 While most of the world was in lockdown, we rediscovered the8 COVID-19 holds implications for governance & citizens’

4 COVID-19 was an eye opener to all forms of inequality

9 While COVID-19 is new, resilience is not a new concept at

policy responses and recovery strategies were often place-blindneed to shift from mobility to accessibility

democracy, mobility and social interactions in cities

citizens’ environmental awarenesss

trust in their governments

across people and places, especially in large cities

all

5 Density is not the problem – the urban premium will likely not

Never have global agendas been so timely and relevant for
cities to fit for the future

turn into an urban penalty

103

While most of the world was in lockdown, we rediscovered the need toshift from mobility to accessibility
 Cycling paths
 Widening of sidewalks
 Terraces for restaurants
 Balconies
 Green spaces
 Amenities“15-minute city concept” by C. Moreno(applied to Paris)

The degree of exposure and capacity of cities to recover dep end on varying factors

Tactical urbanism allowed for great flexibility, which now needs to turn intolasting,long-term
solutions.
Caution with elitism and inequality!
© OECD | Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs,
Regions andCities | @OECD_Local|

The “Zoom effect” and the “Greta effect” have accelerated citizens’
environmental awarenesss
The concept of Circular Economy

The transition from a “linear” to a “circular”
economy may now bepolitically & socially more acceptable

There should be NO return to normal in terms of how we move,produce, consume and interact in cities© OECD | Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities | @OECD_Local |Cities strategies for long-term recovery an
resilience offers an unique opportunity
Still green recovery measures are a
relatively small component of overall
stimulus packages• Only 17% of total COVID-19
recovery spending is related toenvironmentally positive recoverymeasures.
Source: OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19). Cities Policy
Responses (2020); The OECD Green Recovery Database: Examining theenvironmental implications of COVID-19 recovery policies (2021)© OECD | Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities | @OECD_Local |Metropolitan areas: rising temperatures
Change in cooling needs in OECD cities and their commuting zones

Since 1970,cooling needs
have increasedby almost 25%
in OECD cities.

Source: Regions and Cities at aGlance 2020

© OECD | Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities | @OECD_Local |Metropolitan areas: less tree cover
Change in tree cover in OECD cities and their commuting zones: 1992-2018

Tree cover has
declined in morethan half of cities
between 1992and 2018.
Most severe
impacts were inNorth Americaand Australia.
Source: Regions and Cities at aGlance 2020

© OECD | Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities | @OECD_Local |Why a “territorial approach”? What
benefits?
Paris Agreement challenges:• Geographical disparities inpotential and needs• SNGs are very ambitious (netzero Copenhagen 2025) but
cannot achieve full potential if
acting alone• Urgency – NDCs insufficient tolimit to 2°C by 2100, low politicalbuy-inA territorial approach seeks to:• Understand context-specificstrengths and challenges +measuring distance• Ensure policy coherence
between levels of gov’t• Support & scale up action in© OECD | Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities | @OECD_Local |cities and regions

What is a territorial approach and how
can it help?
TRADITIONAL APPROACHTERRITORIAL APPROACH

SectoralMulti-sectoral

One-size-fits-all

Context-specificmeasures &interventions

Top-down policymaking &implementation

Bottom-up policymaking &implementation© OECD | Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities | @OECD_Local |Promote place-based policy
responses & bridge siloes

Granular measurement (beyondnational averages)



Scale-up & replicate innovative
local actionStrengthen linkages (mitigationadaptation, urban-rural)

Spur local green growth, through
COVID-19 recovery

A Territorial Approach to Climate Actionand Resilience
To drive the zero-carbon transition & reinforce climate resilience through a territorial approach
Evidence base
• Demonstrate subnational potential by strengthening localised reporting/monitoring
frameworks, including for investment and financing• Develop zero-carbon transition & climate resilience benchmarks and track
subnational climate finance
Multi-level policy reform• Assess national & subnational policy and governance frameworks• Provide tailored recommendations for mitigation/adaptation policies• Checklist for action (e.g. integrating climate action in territorial/urban development
policies, regulations and incentives)
Knowledge exchange• Share & disseminate innovative policies to drive the transition and recovery© OECD | Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities | @OECD_Local |Thank you!
Aziza.AKHMOUCH@oecd.org
Tadashi.MATSUMOTO@oecd.org

Twitter: @OECD_local
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/oecd-local
Website: www.oecd.org/cfe