Abstract: City climate networks are positioning cities as critical sites for climate governance. Climate change governance is no longer limited to international or national forums, it is now a critical urban issue. The IPCC (2014), World Bank (2010), UN Habitat (2013) and the OECD (2010) are all positioning cities as central to successful global climate change mitigation, as well as adaptation. The importance of city climate networks are now acknowledged by the IPCC (2014) as a critical part of citizen engagement. Nine urban climate networks have evolved over the last two decades (Bulkeley et al. 2014). The most significant development for climate strategic worldwide urban network is the launch of the Global Mayors Compact at the latest UN Summit (2014). However, city climate change networks are now positioned within the frame of strategic urbanism – (Hodson and Marvin 2010, While et al. 2010). That is involving urban climate governance framed more within a mainstream economic issue. Debate is therefore required about the capacity of city networks to offer realistic methods of engaging and deflecting complex, fast moving threats and disruptions at the planetary scale. This paper engages with the critical issue of climate urban politics. It explores situating the cities in global environmental politics and potential of the collective response of cities to climate change.