Sustainable Brands: 25 C40 Cities Commit to Become Carbon Neutral by 2050
Just weeks after 12 C40 mayors signed the C40 Fossil-Fuel-Free Streets Declarationin an effort to curb air pollution and improve the quality of life for urban dwellers while tackling climate change, the mayors of 25 pioneering cities have pledged to develop and begin implementing more ambitious climate action plans by 2020 to deliver emissions-neutral and climate-resilient cities by 2050. The plans will ensure the cities deliver on their share of emissions reductions required to realize the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Developed with the support of C40 Cities, these climate action plans will help the world’s largest cities reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The plans will also demonstrate how each city will adapt and improve its resilience to climate-related crises and extreme weather events. Additionally, they will detail the wider social, environmental and economic benefits of taking climate action.
The C40 member cities that have made the pledge are: Austin, Accra, Barcelona, Boston, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Caracas, Copenhagen, Durban, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, New York City, Oslo, Paris, Philadelphia, Portland, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Santiago, Stockholm and Vancouver.
In delivering the deadline 2020 program, C40 will be working in collaboration with other leading city initiatives, such as The Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, to achieve long-term emission reduction goals across more cities.
C40 Cities will also provide direct support to nine African megacities in developing robust and evidence-based long-term climate action plans that align with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Dubbed Cities Matter: Capacity building in sub-Saharan African megacities for transformational climate change mitigation, the project is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment,Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) supports the initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag.
The cities to be supported through the initiative are: Accra, Cape Town, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi and Tshwane.
“The Paris Agreement is very clear on what needs to happen to take courageous climate action,” said Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and C40 Chair.
“Mayors of the world’s great cities are shaping the century ahead and paving the way for a better, healthier and greener future. Mayors do what they must do, not what they can, and these plans and policies are an excellent example of our state of mind. With the support of key partners, like BMUB and C40, African cities are playing a leading and decisive role in delivering on the ambition of the Paris Agreement.”
A new report by C40 and the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment details the biggest opportunities for emissions reduction, making it easier for cities to identify the actions that could deliver the greatest emissions reductions by 2030.
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