This article is for disclosing cities, states and regions and details the changes to the CDP Cities and States and Regions questionnaires between the 2025 and 2026 disclosure cycles.
Contents
Overview
The 2026 Cities, States and Regions questionnaires changes map outlines the key developments to the questionnaires and includes the following information:
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The 2026 question number.
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Which questionnaire? 2026 question numbers are the same across the Cities and States and Regions questionnaires, but not all questions and columns are shown in each. This details which questionnaire the question is shown in.
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The associated 2025 question number.
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Change: The level of change the question has undergone. These changes are defined as follows:
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No change: No change has been made to a past question. This does not include question numbers.
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No change to question, additional guidance: No change has been made to a past question, but existing guidance has been expanded beyond minor edits, or new guidance has been added e.g. resources in an Additional Information section.
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Minor change: Small changes have been made to a past question e.g. some new drop-downs, or a change to the question text. Where the guidance has also changed, this is indicated.
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Modified question: Substantive changes have been made to a past question e.g. a significant edit to drop-down options or columns. It can be assumed that modified questions will also have additional/modified guidance.
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Revised question dependency: No changes made except to question-to-question dependencies, altering what questions/columns will drive this question to appear.
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Summary of changes: Where relevant an overview of the key changes is provided.
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Note: If you submitted a response to the 2025 questionnaires, your answers will be pre-filled into your 2026 questionnaire where possible. Answers will not be pre-filled for questions where you did not previously submit a response, or for new columns. Attachments are not transferred from the previous cycle.
Important: We encourage you to review pre-filled responses carefully. It is your responsibility to ensure your answers are updated for the accuracy and completeness of your 2026 response.
Breakdown of question changes
Module 1. Introduction
|
2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
1.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
1.1 |
No change |
|
|
1.2 |
Cities, States and Regions |
1.2 |
Modified |
Land use datapoints shifted to question 1.3. |
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1.3 |
Cities, States and Regions |
N/A |
New question |
New question to streamline reporting of land use. |
|
1.4 |
States and Regions |
N/A |
New question |
New question with datapoints shifted from Forests module to streamline reporting. |
Module 2. Governance
|
2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
2.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
1.3 |
Modified |
New dropdown column, “Indicate the aspects of your jurisdiction’s governance into which climate-related issues are mainstreamed.” |
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2.2 |
Cities, States and Regions |
1.4 |
Modified |
Updated dropdown options in column, “How does your jurisdiction ensure the equitable distribution of the opportunities/benefits of climate-related actions?” |
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2.3 |
Cities, States and Regions |
1.5 |
Modified |
New dropdown column, “Has this partnership/engagement been formalized?” |
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2.4 |
Cities, States and Regions |
1.6 |
Modified |
New dropdown options in column "Mechanism of cross-stakeholder collaboration" and "Entities collaborated with." |
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2.5 |
Cities, States and Regions |
9.4 |
Modified |
New columns, “Annual approved budget during reporting year (currency),” and “Amount of your budget that is aligned with your jurisdiction's climate action plans in reporting year (currency).” |
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2.6 |
Cities, States and Regions |
N/A |
New question |
New question to streamline reporting of limiting factors. |
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2.7 |
Cities, States and Regions |
N/A |
New question |
New question to improve progress tracking for disclosers and data users. |
Module 3. Assessment - Climate Risk and Vulnerability
|
2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
3.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
2.1 |
No change |
|
|
3.1.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
2.1.1 |
Modified |
Updated dropdown options in column, “Factors considered in assessment. 2025 1.3 column, “Describe the risks to your jurisdiction related to the transition to a low-carbon economy” shifted here. |
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3.2 |
Cities, States and Regions |
2.2 |
Modified |
Updated dropdown options in column, “Sectors, assets and services.” Introduced new columns on metrics and evidence used to measure changes and financial effects of the hazard. |
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3.3 |
Cities, States and Regions |
2.3 |
No change |
|
Module 4. Assessment - Emissions Inventory
|
2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
4.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
3.1 |
No change |
|
|
4.1.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
3.1.1 |
Minor |
Streamlined options in columns "Latest year covered by main inventory" and "Overall level of data quality." |
|
4.1.2 |
Cities, States and Regions |
3.1.3 |
Modified |
Streamlined reporting of community-wide emissions, allowing for reporting of emissions in the format of the CRF or GPC in one question to improve the reporting experience and data analysis. |
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4.1.3 |
Cities, States and Regions |
3.1.4 |
Conditional logic only |
This question is shown to disclosers reporting emissions in the format of the U.S. Communicty Protocol for Accounting and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (ICLEI USA) or reporting emissions not disaggregated by scope. |
|
4.2 |
Cities |
3.2 |
No change |
|
|
4.3 |
Cities |
3.3 |
No change |
|
|
4.3.1 |
Cities |
3.3.1 |
No change |
|
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4.3.2 |
Cities |
3.3.2 |
No change |
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Module 5. Assessment - Sectoral Data
|
2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
5.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
4.1 |
Modified |
Streamlined reporting in column "Latest year data applies to." |
|
5.1.1 |
Cities |
4.1.1 |
No change |
|
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5.1.2 |
Cities |
4.1.2 |
No change |
|
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5.1.3 |
Cities, States and Regions |
4.1.3 |
Modified |
Updated table options in fixed column, “Energy Source.” |
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5.1.4 |
Cities |
4.1.4 |
No change |
|
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5.2 |
Cities |
4.2 |
Modified |
Streamlined reporting in column "Latest year data applies to." |
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5.3 |
Cities |
4.3 |
No change |
|
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5.4 |
Cities |
4.4 |
No change |
|
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5.5 |
Cities, States and Regions |
4.5 |
Modified |
Streamlined reporting in columns "Latest year passenger mode share data applies to" and "Latest year freight mode share data applies to." |
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5.6 |
Cities |
4.6 |
Modified |
New columns "Public buses weighing less than 5 tonnes" and "Public buses weighing more than 5 tonnes." Streamlined reporting in column "Latest year data applies to." |
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5.7 |
Cities, States and Regions |
4.7 |
Modified |
Updated table options in fixed column, “Waste-related data area (unit)”. |
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5.8 |
Cities, States and Regions |
4.8 |
Modified |
Streamlined reporting in column "Time horizon over which impacts on health issue(s) are expected to occur." Updated dropdown options in column, "Identify which vulnerable populations are affected by the selected health issue(s)." |
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5.9 |
Cities |
4.9 |
Minor |
Streamlined reporting in column "Latest year data applies to." |
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5.10 |
Cities, States and Regions |
4.1 |
Modified |
Updated column header "Water consumption (liters/capita/day)" for clarity. Streamlined reporting in column "Latest year data applies to." |
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5.11 |
Cities, States and Regions |
4.11 |
Minor |
Streamlined reporting in column "Latest year data applies to." |
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5.12 |
Cities |
4.13 |
Modified |
New columns "Indicate the source location of your jurisdiction's water supply" and "Latest year data applies to." |
Module 6. Targets - Adaptation Goals
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2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
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6.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
5.1 |
No change |
|
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6.1.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
5.1.1 |
Modified |
Introduced new column, “Provide evidence progress tracking is implemented for the metric/indicator used to track goal,” and “Goal status and progress made towards goal.” |
Module 7. Targets - Mitigation
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2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
7.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
6.1 |
No change |
|
|
7.1.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
5.1.1 |
Modified |
Reduced reporting burden by shifting net zero related datapoints to 7.1.2. |
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7.1.2 |
Cities, States and Regions |
6.1.2 |
Modified |
Merged questions 2025 6.1.2 and 6.1.3 relating to residual emissions and emissions removals of net zero targets with conditional logic applied to reduce reporting burden. Aligned with Integrity Matters. |
Module 8. Targets - Other Climate and Nature
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2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
8.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
7.1 |
Modified |
New columns "Select a reference ID for the target" and "Please explain." Updated options in column, "Target status and progress made towards target." |
Module 9. Planning
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2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
9.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
8.1 |
Minor |
Updated question text. |
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9.1.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
8.1.1 |
Modified |
Introduced new columns, “Primary framework used to develop plan,” and “Vulnerable population groups engaged.” |
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9.2 |
Cities, States and Regions |
8.2 |
Modified |
Updated dropdown options in column "Primary focus of plan, policy, and/or strategy." |
Module 10. Actions
|
2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
10.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
9.1/9.2 |
Modified |
Merged 2025 questions (9.1 and 9.2) to streamline reporting and improve data quality |
|
10.2 |
Cities, States and Regions |
9.3 |
Modified |
Introduced new columns on project development/project implementation timelines, “Identified finance source(s),” “Co-benefits realized,” “Project owner / Project sponsor,” and “Inclusion in climate-related action plan and/or jurisdiction development/master plan.” |
Module 11. Forests
|
2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
11.1 |
States and Regions |
10.1 |
Modified |
Introduced 4 new columns requesting information about forest maps, images or polygons. |
|
11.1.1 |
States and Regions |
10.1.1 |
Modified |
Introduced new column, “Does your jurisdiction have data available to report on this type of forested land ownership category?”. Removed column, “Please explain”. |
|
11.2 |
States and Regions |
10.5 |
Modified |
Updated question text. |
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11.2.1 |
States and Regions |
10.5.1 |
Modified |
Updated table options in fixed column, “Focus area”. Introduced new column, “Describe the targets or objectives of your natural forest or natural ecosystem or forest policy”. |
|
11.3 |
States and Regions |
10.4 |
Modified |
Updated question text. |
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11.3.1 |
States and Regions |
10.5.2 |
Modified |
Updated table options in fixed column, “Challenges”. |
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11.4 |
States and Regions |
10.6.1 |
Modified |
Updated table options in fixed column, “Global initiative/convention”. |
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11.5 |
States and Regions |
10.7 |
Modified |
Shifted “No” options to new column, “Indicate why your jurisdiction is not implementing jurisdictional REDD+*”. |
|
11.6 |
States and Regions |
10.8 |
Modified |
Updated question text. Updated dropdown options in column "Primary reason for no involvement." |
|
11.6.1 |
States and Regions |
10.8.1 |
Modified |
Introduced new columns, “Include further information about the initiative” and “Nature targets/commitments related to the initiative.” Expanded dropdown list in column, “Types of partners engaged in the initiative design and implementation.” |
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11.7 |
States and Regions |
10.9 |
Modified |
Updated question text. |
|
11.7.1 |
States and Regions |
10.9.1 |
Modified |
Updated question text. |
|
11.8 |
States and Regions |
10.1 |
Modified |
Updated question text. |
|
11.8.1 |
States and Regions |
10.10.1 |
Modified |
Updated table options in fixed column, “Risk assessment procedure.” Removed columns, “Drivers assessed” and “Frequency of assessment.” |
|
11.9 |
States and Regions |
10.11.1 |
Modified |
Updated question text. |
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11.10 |
States and Regions |
10.12.1 |
Modified |
Introduced new column, “Please specify why no opportunities have been identified.” |
Module 12. Further Information
|
2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
12.1 |
Cities, States and Regions |
11.1 |
No change |
|
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12.2 |
Cities, States and Regions |
11.2 |
No change |
|
Module 13. C40 Cities
|
2026 question number |
Which questionniare? |
2025 question number |
Change |
Summary of changes |
|
13.1 |
C40 Cities only |
4.12 |
No change |
|
|
13.2 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
|
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13.3 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
|
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13.4 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
|
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13.5 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
|
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13.6 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
|
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13.7 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
|
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13.8 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
|
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13.9 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
|
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13.10 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
|
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13.11 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
|
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13.12 |
C40 Cities only |
N/A |
New question |
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You may also find the following articles helpful:
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Questionnaire Pathways and Pathways Maps for the Cities questionanire
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Frameworks, Projects and Initiatives for disclosing Cities, States and Regions
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Reporting science-based targets in the Cities, States and Regions questionnaires
If you have not found the answer you were looking for, please contact CDP Support using the 'Contact Support' button at the end of this article. For any guidance on raising a support case or creating a Help Center account please refer to our How to raise a case in the CDP Help Center article.
