Global societies must act urgently to establish and achieve common goals in climate change mitigation and adaptation to ensure a sustainable future for coming generations. To effec-tively integrate the national goal of meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal at the local level, local urban plans must assimilate, transpose, and reg-ulate holistic measures that meet the challenge, guided by climate plans. The objective of this work is to assess whether municipal regulations are pertinently and coherently guaranteeing climate urgency in the detail of their components. The case studies focused on two European capitals, Lisbon and Paris, within the framework of the European mission "climate-neutral cities by 2030". The methodology explored action indicators for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the building sector, based on scientific review. It has been analysed the degree of assimilation of these indicators in the aforementioned plans and through interviews con-ducted with professionals in both cities. The results show that: (i) the priority of the building sector is essential to ensure a fair and healthy future for residents in a context of high energy costs; (ii) guidelines vary depending on the local context but show significant delays in both capitals by 2030; (iii) mitigation and adaptation are inseparable. The discussion concludes that: (i) sustainable, informed, and participative climate governance must ensure the principle of the general interest; (ii) effective planning consists of multisectoral strategies requiring co-ordination and dialogue between different stakeholders; (iii) financial resources, creative con-struction principles, and professional support for local actors must be released; (iv) energy poverty is a shared concern in both cities. The question arises as to whether, to more rapidly ensure effective territorial sustainability, it would be appropriate to urgently adopt a public climate action rating, monitored on European dashboards.

Supervision: João Pedro Gouveia