States and Regions

State and regional governments have an exciting and important role to plan in our transition to a low carbon future.

The United Nations Development Program estimates that 50‐80% of actions required to implement a global deal happen at the subnational level of government. This is because these governments are responsible for important policy areas such as the generation, supply and distribution of electricity, the regulation of the built environment, waste management, transport and land‐use planning.

In 2005 The Climate Group teamed up with the States of Quebec and Manitoba to hold the first Climate Leaders Summit. From this event came the Montreal Declaration of Federated States and Regions, signed by subnational governments from around the world committed to setting targets and implementing climate change actions in their own jurisdictions.

This international coalition has now convened a further three Climate Leaders Summits, the most recent coincided with the COP 16 negotiations in Cancun. Sub-national leadership on climate change is not only generating much needed emissions reductions now, but is also having a valuable political ripple effect. At the Climate Leaders Summit in Cancun, the subnational governments in attendance committed to continuing the development of policies to deliver low carbon development with the signing of the Cancun Statement of Federal States & Regional Governments on Low Carbon & Climate Resilient Development. In December, these commitments were developed in further detail in the Cancun Sectoral Frameworks.

Current signatories of the Cancun Statement include the governments of Aragon, Baden-Württemberg, Baja California, Bavaria, Brittany, Campeche, Catalonia, Coahuila, Durango, Hidalgo, Île-de-France, Jalisco, Manitoba, Michoacan, Morelos, North Rhine-Westphalia, Nuevo Leon, Nunavut, Quebec, Quintana Roo, Rhônes-Alpes, San Luis Potosí, Scotland, Selangor, Sonora, South Australia, Tabasco, the Basque Country, Upper Austria and Wales.

At the European Conference of Regions on Climate Change in October 2011, European States and Regions reconfirmed their commitment to climate action and called for the adoption of ambitious emission reduction targets at European and international levels in the Lyon Declaration. Currently signatories include the governments of the Basque Country, Baden-Württemberg, Brittany, Brussels Capital Region, Catalonia,  Ile-de-France, Lombardy, Malopolska, North Rhine Westphalia, Sao Paulo, Scotland, Wales and Wallonia, with further regions expected to join in the run-up to the COP17 in Durban, where the Declaration will be handed over to global decision takers.

As part of their Cancun commitments, States and Regions also brought to the COP an overview of some of their key climate achievements, providing some inspiring examples for the impact of sub-national leadership for the Clean Revolution and reconfirming their dedication to continuously increasing their ambition.  

The Alliance’s members also aim to play a stronger role in the international arena, highlighting States’ and Regions’ substantial role in the Clean Revolution, and calling for ambitious policy frameworks to support their transition to a prosperous low-carbon future. An EU regional governments' call for a 30% GHG emissions reduction target coordinated by the States and Regions Alliance is currently supported by the governments of Baden-Württemberg, the Basque Country Bavaria, Brittany, Catalonia, Cornwall, Ile-de-France, Rhone-Alpes, Scotland and Wales.