These developments – combined with the powerful signal of the agreement itself – should have a profound impact on both public policy and the operation of markets. This must expand the space for a different kind of development pathway to emerge, combining local action for equity and rights with the global shift towards zero net greenhouse gas emissions.  

This momentum should be reinforced by the new global goal set. The Sustainable Development Goals replaced the Millennium Development Goals on 1 January, bringing a new understanding of development action as universal in scope, and putting sustainability at the heart of the economic development agenda.  

The potential for local action to meet global climate action is vast, for example:

• Democratising energy access through distributed power systems that can combine economic empowerment with decarbonisation of energy supplies
• More equitable, inclusive and cleaner cities that address the substantial unmet needs for residents of low-income and informal settlements in a way that limits additional emissions. The powerful social benefits of reducing emissions need to be targeted at increasing access to basic sanitation, adequate shelter, and affordable transportation. Empowering low-income urban residents and communities to help shape a better future will be an important theme at the 10th Community-Based Adaptation conference in Dhaka in April, and should be a focus for Habitat III in Quito in October
• Natural systems where local ownership rights are clarified to provide incentives for preserving and enhancing the world's vital carbon sinks, including forests and coastal ecosystems, and
• Healthier and more equitable systems for the production and consumption of food – cutting down on high-emissions foodstuffs that serve mostly richer consumers.