As cities are major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and places where people face multiple climate change impacts, their critical role in responding to climate change is becoming increasingly evident. Cities are developing climate change action plans (CCAPs), focusing their efforts on reducing GHG emissions and adapting to climate change impacts.
Despite having the highest urban population in the world, there are a few studies on urban CCAPs in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. This study assesses the level of integration of mitigation and adaptation (IMA) in urban climate change plans across 44 major LAC cities. The level of IMA was measured by the utilisation of the IMA index, a comprehensive evaluation framework of indicators. The results show that more than half of the examined LAC cities have a moderate level of IMA. The study further explores and statistically analyses 42 institutional, socioeconomic, and environmental factors to identify which ones potentially drive or constrain the level of IMA.
The results indicate that cities are more likely to pay attention to mitigation and adaption when their climate change action plans are supported by donor agencies or collaborating with other cities. This highlights the important role of donor agencies, international organisations, and cities’ networks for providing the necessary capacity to cities for addressing climate change.