Ninety-seven scientists and urban practitioners from five continents have been selected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as Authors, Coordinating Lead Authors, and Review Editors for the upcoming Special Report on Climate Change and Cities (SR-Cities), set for release in March 2027.
ICLEI, an accredited observer organization to the IPCC, nominated experts from its global network, with three selected for key roles.
Prof. Jose Antonio Puppim de Oliveira from Brazil, a faculty member at Fundação Getulio Vargas, was selected as Coordinating Lead Author for Chapter 4, “How to facilitate and accelerate change.”
Prof. Dr. Felix Creutzig from Germany, who serves as Head of the Working Group Land Use, Infrastructure, and Transport at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, was selected as Lead Author for Chapter 5, “Solutions by city types and regions.”
Risto Veivo from Finland, who is Director of Climate and Green Transition for the City of Turku, was also selected as Lead Author for Chapter 5.
These experts will volunteer their time and expertise to produce a report that addresses the dynamic challenges cities face due to climate change and explores solutions for sustainable urban development. This marks a crucial milestone in advancing urban climate science and policy relevance.
ICLEI Secretary General Gino Van Begin stated, “ICLEI has a rich history of engaging with the IPCC and supporting its cycles, particularly regarding cities and city-level climate action. We are committed to scaling up this engagement in AR7 and supporting the IPCC by ensuring the urban practitioner community is well-equipped to collaborate with the scientific community to prepare this report.”
The SR-Cities is part of the IPCC’s seventh assessment cycle (AR7), which began in July 2023. Its roots, however, trace back to the IPCC’s 43rd session in 2016, where the decision to include a special report on cities was made. A major milestone was reached in April 2024 during a scoping meeting in Riga, Latvia, where the IPCC included urban practitioners alongside scientists for the first time—an unprecedented step ensuring that the report would be a co-creation between academia and urban experts from the onset, making it an invaluable resource for cities worldwide.
“The IPCC Bureau’s inclusion of urban practitioners in the development of the SR-Cities signifies a notable advance towards an era of collaboration, blending scientific and urban expertise to enrich climate science and support cities globally. The goal is to ensure the SR-Cities becomes genuinely policy-relevant for cities and subnational governments worldwide,” said Pourya Salehi, ICLEI Head of Urban Research, Innovation, and Development and ICLEI Focal Point to the IPCC.
On 12 August 2024, governments, observer organizations, and IPCC Bureau Members —with its multiple working groups— were invited to nominate candidates to develop the report. This call followed an agreement on the outline of the SR-Cities at the IPCC’s 61st session, held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 27 July to 2 August 2024.
Professor Jose Antonio Puppim de Oliveira said: “ICLEI has been at the forefront of supporting cities in tackling climate change and a long-time supporter of my work. To be appointed as an author of the IPCC’s SR-Cities means a lot of responsibility to bring the best of science and knowledge to support ICLEI and cities in their work to tackle climate change. SR-Cities is a landmark, having the main scientific assessment body on climate change acknowledging the importance of cities for addressing climatic changes. I hope I can bring my three decades of work on climate change and cities to support the team or authors to achieve the objectives of the report, which is to help cities to be best informed about climate change.”
Professor Dr. Felix Creutzig said: “The SR-Cities is extremely timely, highlighting the potential of municipalities to act on climate change. I am honored to participate as lead author and see a huge opportunity to advance data-based assessment of cities and their city-specific strategies in tackling climate change.”
Risto Veivo said: “Having worked extensively both on municipal climate policies and in international cooperation on sustainable development, I am very happy and enthusiastic to contribute to the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. I am grateful to ICLEI and Finland for the nominations and support and look forward to being able to bring into the report the experiences and proven good practices of cities around the world, based on the science and synthesis available. ICLEI’s global research network is an important resource in this regard.”
Why the SR-Cities matters
The SR-Cities will feature five chapters, starting with a foundational overview of cities in the context of climate change, highlighting their vulnerabilities and pivotal role in driving action. Subsequent chapters will explore historical and future trends, the interaction between emissions and risks, and practical, region-specific urban resilience and sustainability solutions. The final chapters will delve into actionable solutions and strategies to facilitate and accelerate urban transformation while emphasizing equity, inclusiveness, and justice.
The SR-Cities’s insights will inform global policies and actions related to climate challenges in cities, ultimately impacting all scales of action. In addition, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has invited the IPCC to contribute to the Global Stocktake 2.0 (GST 2.0), which is scheduled to be concluded in 2028. In light of this, it is expected that IPCC’s insights, particularly from the SR-Cities as the first product to be prepared under the seventh cycle, will play a crucial role in shaping policies and actions related to climate challenges in urban contexts.
Watch a video featuring Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Vice Chair of the IPCC and Chair of the Urban Research and Innovation Portfolio for the ICLEI Global Executive Committee, as she introduces the upcoming SR-Cities at COP29.
Access the full list of selected Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors and Review Editors for the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities here.
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