In November 2024, radio programmes, news broadcasts, social media and the like, all had something to say about COP29, Baku or Azerbaijan. However, for the person on the street, it feels like everything being talked about is as far away as the moon, with no connection to local realities, making us wonder what this was all about. It felt that it was a conversation between them, negotiators, observer organisations and those at the international level and us, the local communities with no room at the table.

Perhaps this is one of the pitfalls of international agreements and how they relate to the national and local level: communicating what happens at the international and how it connects to the local seems irrelevant, yet it is at the local level where change really happens.

The Paris Agreement [1], an international legally binding treaty on climate change adopted in 2015 aims to ensure global warming does not go beyond 1.5 Celsius [2]. To achieve this, greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced, and it is up to each country to create and implement national action plans every five years, with the next cycle starting in early 2025 [3]. These national action plans, referred to as National Determined Contributions (NDCs) require implementation which, in turn, require social and economic changes. Each cycle must be more ambitious than the previous one–something that has been called the ratcheting up mechanism [4].

As it is at the very local where changes take place, one can see that a gap exists between the local and the international, as they are perceived as separate entities embodying very different needs, but they are intrinsically linked. You cannot have ambitious NDCs if you do not connect the international to the local. You cannot have a ratcheting up mechanism or more ambitious targets if you do not involve those who are most affected by climate change, the local community either at the city or regional level.

As each country defines its own NDCs [5], detailing specific strategies and targets for emission reduction and climate adaptation, countries need to work with local governments to best achieve this.

The UK Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, at the start of COP29 said he was committed to a more ambitious climate goal for the UK, with 81% emissions cut by 2035 [6,7]. He did not indicate how he would do this or what role the local community would play. As NDCs are instrumental in translating the global aspirations of the Paris Agreement into tangible actions on the ground, providing a clear framework for action, enabling coordinated efforts at the national and local levels is a must.

By setting well-defined targets and outlining specific policies, NDCs act as a roadmap for local governments, businesses, and communities to contribute to both national and international climate goals. This framework ensures that efforts at all levels are aligned and contribute to a cohesive overall strategy. But to do all this, local action has to be the basis for any ambitious targets. There needs to be an understanding of the importance of multi-level governance [8] in addressing climate change [9]. While international agreements like the Paris Agreement set the overall framework and direction, effective climate action necessitates coordinated efforts across all levels of government. Moreover, it requires the active participation of civil society and the private sector.

The application of any NDC needs to connect with real-world implementation, demonstrating how international commitments translate into local initiatives and policies. Understanding the role of NDCs is essential for engaging in climate discussions meaningfully and advocating for effective policies at the local, national, and international levels [10,11]. NDCs, by connecting global goals to concrete actions, offer a pathway for transforming ambition into tangible progress in tackling the urgent challenge of climate change. NDCs serve as a vital bridge, translating global ambitions into concrete steps that can be taken by governments, businesses, and communities worldwide. But if we, as members of the local community, are left to wonder what all the fuss is about, then no matter what type of commitments governments offer, the gap between international climate goals and local realities will never be closed.

One way of closing this gap is by looking at sustainability transitions and how they interact with NDCs. Sustainability transitions are referred to the systemic changes needed to confront the environmental disasters we are facing [12]. The question then arises of how we can contribute to these systemic changes in our roles as citizens, as members of our local communities (this applies to politicians too) and how we are advancing NDCs for the betterment of our world and future generations.

We can use sustainability transitions as the means to an end, ensuring we can achieve and implement the ambitious NDCs we are told we need to achieve. In other words, by looking at the long-term systemic shifts needed within our societies to achieve sustainable models of production and consumption at the local level (such as technology, governance and societal practices), we can create and implement more ambitious NDCs.