The low-carbon and sustainable development of cities has long been a focal point for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region. The 2014 APEC Leaders 'Declaration introduced the "APEC Urbanization Partnership Initiative," recognizing the urbanization challenges and opportunities faced by APEC economies and committing to jointly advance collaborative projects to explore pathways for building green, efficient, low-carbon, and people-centered new urbanization and sustainable city development. The 2015 APEC Leaders' Declaration reaffirmed the commitment to developing environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, low-carbon, and people-oriented urbanization models. Achieving inclusive and sustainable development has consistently been a key priority for the APEC region. In early 2020, amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 APEC Leaders 'Declaration called for collaborative efforts to enhance access to affordable energy, strengthen energy resilience and security, promote widespread adoption of diverse energy sources and technologies, support sustainable economic growth, accelerate the transition to clean energy, and achieve robust and inclusive economic recovery—aimed at overcoming pandemic challenges, seizing emerging opportunities, and fostering shared prosperity. The 2022 APEC Leaders' Declaration reiterated the commitment to fostering strong, balanced, secure, sustainable, and inclusive growth. It emphasized the need to intensify efforts to address current challenges—including climate change, extreme weather and natural disasters, food security, and the sustainable energy transition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—while ensuring regional energy resilience, accessibility, and security through increased investment in relevant initiatives.

      To meet the demands of economic development and daily life, energy consumption is highly concentrated in urban areas. According to data from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), by 2022, cities housed over 55% of the global population, consumed more than two-thirds of the world's energy, and accounted for approximately 50% to 60% of total global carbon emissions. It is projected that by 2040, cities will represent around 80% of global energy consumption, making them the primary battleground and key focus for achieving carbon neutrality. The energy transition—including improving energy efficiency and vigorously developing renewable energy—is a widely agreed-upon approach, and the methods and pathways to realize carbon neutrality have become a major research priority.

      In 2020, China established its "dual carbon" goals. Subsequently, to thoroughly implement the major strategic decisions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council regarding carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, and in accordance with the requirements outlined in the 2021 "Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Fully, Accurately, and Comprehensively Implementing the New Development Philosophy and Advancing Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality Work" and the State Council's "Action Plan for Carbon Peaking Before 2030," provinces and municipalities have formulated corresponding carbon peaking action plans tailored to their specific circumstances, advancing their carbon peaking and carbon neutrality efforts in a steady and orderly manner. Providing affordable regional energy for people-centered urban development, promoting energy conservation and efficiency through planning measures, and addressing the primary energy and carbon emission challenges faced by cities—while advancing APEC cities toward carbon neutrality—have become key research priorities in the urban energy sector.

      This report outlines the energy and carbon emission challenges faced by APEC cities, analyzes implementation strategies for achieving energy transition and carbon neutrality goals, and provides recommendations through case studies of representative APEC cities. The findings address key areas including green and low-carbon energy transformation, energy conservation and carbon reduction efficiency enhancement, carbon peaking in urban and rural development, sustainable transportation systems, circular economy applications for decarbonization, and innovative green technologies. The report delivers actionable policy recommendations to support APEC cities in meeting their energy transition and carbon neutrality targets, while offering replicable best practices for strengthening carbon emission accounting capabilities, advancing standardization frameworks, and developing green finance solutions. These research outcomes ensure effective implementation of APEC leaders' decisions, support the achievement of the APEC Renewable Energy Doubling and Energy Intensity Reduction targets, facilitate knowledge sharing on regional energy transition and carbon neutrality experiences, and drive advancements in urban carbon neutrality technologies and services.