We are in an era of climate crisis. Cities play a vital role in addressing the challenges of climate change. In 2023, cities account for 57% of the global population and more than 70% of annual global carbon emissions. The decisions made by cities today will have a profound impact on energy consumption and carbon emissions in the coming decades. Therefore, promoting cities to set low-carbon goals and take active climate actions is the key to achieving the 1.5℃target of the Paris Agreement.

So far, there is a lack of a comprehensive, scientific and operational information platform at the city level. With the support of partners such as the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning and the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, WRI has developed and managed the Citysphere to provide an innovative bridge for cooperation and best practice sharing among global cities by comprehensively showcasing and assessing the climate goals, policies and low-carbon progress of cities around the world.

The platform covers hundreds of cities around the world. Based on open and reliable sources, it provides policymakers and researchers with multi-dimensional urban information on socio-economics, climate change, energy and environment. It also conductslow-carbon development assessmentson over a hundred cities, sorts outclimate policiesin dozens of cities, and displays the progress and best practices of climate actions at the city level. By providing actionable information and assessment results, Citysphere can help urban planners, policymakers and researchers:

  • Gain an in-depth understanding of the current status of low-carbon development and carbon neutrality target setting in cities.
  • Track the low-carbon progress and climate actions of cities and make horizontal comparisons.
  • Analyze urban problems, especially the challenges in low-carbon development.
  • Develop specific and effective plans and policies, and refer to the best practices of other cities.

Policymakers and affiliated think tanks can obtain excellent cases of urban climate policies through the platform, conduct international comparisons of cities, and promote the sharing of practices and experiences. Researchers can query information related to urban climate change, and obtain research reports and policies in one stop, which is convenient for comparative research.

In the future, we will continue to expand related topics and the content of the Citysphere, include more cities and their climate actions, and accelerate the zero-carbon transitions of global cities.