How Japan’s Experience will be able to Contribute to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities

Cities play an important role in addressing climate change. In recognition of this, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has decided to prepare a "Special Report on Climate Change and Cities" (SR-Cities) in its Seventh Assessment Report cycle. 

Japan has long been developing climate change actions by mobilising cities’ initiatives and actively promoting city-to-city collaboration projects to realise a decarbonised and sustainable future.

Based on the experience of these advanced initiatives, the Ministry of the Environment Japan (MOEJ) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) have been working together to implement a joint research project on the "Role of Cities in Climate Change" since 2023, with a view to contributing to the work on the IPCC SR-Cities.

In conjunction with the first Lead Authors Meeting (LAM1) of SR-Cities to be held in Osaka, Japan, 10 to 14 March 2025, the MOEJ and IIASA will organise a public seminar on Japan's contributions to the SR-Cities, with experts participating in the LAM1, local government officials in Japan and others. The seminar will also introduce the findings of joint research program between Japan and IIASA, as well as synergies between climate change and other fields.