Cities as Climate Laboratories: Innovating, Governing, and Scaling Urban Climate Action

Cities are at the frontline of climate change. They are emission hotspots, concentrate

vulnerability, and at the same time offer significant opportunities for climate action (both

adaptation and mitigation). Cities are increasingly becoming sites where climate

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solutions are developed, piloted, refined, and scaled. They are also sites for infrastructure,

such as data centres, that are critical in supporting the data needs in a rapidly

digitalising world. Integrating these innovations into communities is critical for

sustainable urban development. This panel frames cities as climate laboratories: places

where policy, finance, technology, and social innovation are experimented with under

realworld constraints. The panel focuses on how urban actors translate ideas into action,

learn from successes and failures, and scale effective interventions across sectors and

geographies. The panel, comprising academics and practitioners, aims to bridge

research and practice to accelerate impactful, scalable urban climate action.