The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has decided to produce a Special Report on Climate Change and Cities (SR-Cities) by 2027 in its seventh assessment cycle. In conjunction with the IPCC SR-Cities first Lead Author Meeting (LAM1) in Osaka City, Japan, the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) organized a City Governance Stakeholders’ Workshop on the theme of urban governance, as a joint research project on the ‘Role of Cities in Climate Change’, in which ICLEI Japan also participated.

The workshop, held from 17-18 March 2025, was attended by IPCC Vice-Chair Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, who also serves on ICLEI’s Global Executive Committee, IPCC Working Group II Co-Chair Winston Chow, IPCC/SRC Coordinating Lead Writer Debra Roberts, as well as MOEJ, IIASA, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and Japanese local government officials.

ICLEI Japan member local governments, Saitama City, Tokorozawa City, and Yokohama City have also participated in this workshop.

Participants discussed urban governance matters in small groups and then consolidated the results of the pre-conducted survey on ‘Urban Governance in Climate Change Policies’ for an overall discussion. IPCC experts also showed a strong interest in the efforts and challenges Japanese local governments face in dealing with climate change.

ICLEI Japan, together with MOEJ and IIASA, will contribute to the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, providing key findings.

Relevant information can be found on the following websites.

• How Japan’s Experience will be able to Contribute to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities | IGES
• City experts and practitioners selected to co-author IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities – ICLEI