Kaihui Song: Leveraging subnational capacity for equitable decarbonization

Cities and regional authorities play a crucial role in driving climate action to limit global warming to 1.5°C

Title

Leveraging subnational capacity for equitable decarbonization

Time

Monday, March 3, 2025
6:00PM - 7:00PM ET

Venue

Online via zoom. Please register to participate.

Abstract

Cities and regional authorities play a crucial role in driving climate action to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Despite their critical importance, significant obstacles in data collection and variability in implementation complicate the assessment of their contributions. This study provides the largest analysis of climate efforts across more than 3,000 cities and 170 regions within the G20 nations, revealing a noticeable uptick in the adoption of medium- to long-term emissions reduction and net-zero targets post-2020. However, over 60% of these subnational entities are failing to meet their climate ambitions, with a larger percentage not achieving the reduction rates necessary to align with the 1.5°C goal. These findings underscore the pressing need for enhanced accountability mechanisms for subnational climate actions. Implementing standardized reporting and boosting transparency are pivotal steps to ensure that local and regional efforts substantively contribute to achieving both national and global climate objectives.

Speaker

Bio

Kaihui Song is a Postdoctoral Scholar working on the interactions between human and environmental systems, particularly focusing on climate challenges and solutions. Her research develops models and datasets for subnational climate actions, including emission inventories at the city and community level and emissions embedded in international and domestic supply chains. She applies data-driven approaches on large-scale datasets to analyze carbon inequality, local climate impacts, urban sustainability, and explore opportunities for renewable energy in a just low-carbon transition to support effective and equitable climate policies. Kaihui obtained her Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan.

Readings

Song, K., Farr, K. B., & Hsu, A. (2024). Assessing subnational climate action in G20 cities and regions: Progress and ambition. One Earth, 7(12), 2189-2203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2024.10.001