Accelerating global city commitments and actions on climate change

• IPCC’s “enabling conditions” framework is applied to global urban climate mitigation • A shift from nation-centric climate policy to multi-level climate governance is proposed • City-business alliances and city networks are presented as key to urban mitigation • Highlights new governance, policy, finance, behavior and technological mitigation tools • Key data identified gaps include standardized urban and corporate emissions data As national-focused orthodoxy in climate policy has proven insufficient to address the climate crisis, a shift to a multilevel framework is needed, centering cities as pivotal actors in global climate mitigation. To make this case, we apply the IPCC’s framework for enabling conditions for rapid climate mitigation-governance and institutions, policy, finance, behavioral change, and technological innovation-to global urban climate mitigation. Recent advances in city climate research reveal that multilevel forces across these five enabling conditions are crucial for acheiving deep greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the world's cities. We also illustrate how city-business alliances, city networks, regulatory tools and innovative financial and technological instruments are reshaping pathways toward urban decarbonization. We identify critical data gaps and research needs across all enabling conditions, including standardized urban emissions and local corporate facility emissions data, behavioral policy and financial metrics. Together, these advances chart a research agenda for accelerating multi level, data-driven urban climate mitigation worldwide.