C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40)
Founded October, 2005
(London, United Kingdom)
Type International organization
Focus Climate change
Area served
Global member cities
Method Direct assistance, peer-to-peer exchange, research & communications[1]
Steering Committee
 Amman, Boston, Copenhagen, Durban, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Seoul, Tokyo
Key people
 Mayor Anne Hidalgo (Chairperson)
Michael Bloomberg (President of the Board of Directors)
President Bill Clinton (Founding Partner)
Mark Watts (Executive Director)
Mission C40 is committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate-related actions locally that will help address climate change globally.
Website www.c40.org

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) connects 90 of the world’s greatest cities, representing 650+ million people and one quarter of the global economy.[2] Created and led by cities, C40 is focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens.[3]

The current chair of the C40 is Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo; the President of the Board is the 108th Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg, with Mark Watts serving as C40 Executive Director. All three work closely with the 13-member Steering Committee, the Board of Directors and C40 professional staff. The rotating Steering Committee of C40 mayors provides strategic direction and governance.[1] Current Steering Committee members include: Amman, Boston, Copenhagen, Durban, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Seoul, and Tokyo.[4]

Working across multiple sectors and initiative areas, C40 convenes networks of cities providing a suite of services in support of their efforts, including: direct technical assistance; facilitation of peer-to-peer exchange; and research, knowledge management & communications. C40 is also positioning cities as a leading force for climate action around the world, defining and amplifying their call to national governments for greater support and autonomy in creating a sustainable future.[5]

C40’s work is made possible by three strategic funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and Realdania.

History

In just 11 years, C40 has positioned itself as one of the most effective organizations working to address climate change. C40 started in October 2005 when the former mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, convened representatives from 18 megacities to forge an agreement on cooperatively reducing climate pollution and created the ‘C20’.[6] In 2006, Mayor Livingstone and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI)—led by the efforts of former U.S. President Bill Clinton—combined to strengthen both organizations, bringing the number of cities in the network to 40 and helping to deliver projects and project management for participating cities to further enhance emissions reductions efforts.

Serving as C40’s first Chair, Mayor Livingstone established the C40 Secretariat in London, set up the C40 Steering Committee, and initiated the use of C40 workshops to exchange best practices amongst participating cities.[6] In 2008, former Mayor of Toronto David Miller took over as C40 Chair. Highlights of his tenure included the Copenhagen Climate Summit for Mayors and the C40 Cities Mayors Summit in Seoul, both in 2009, as well as the launch of practical action initiatives for cities, such as the Climate Positive Development Program and the Carbon Finance Capacity Building program.[6]

Three-term Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg served as Chair from 2010-2013. During his three-year tenure, Mayor Bloomberg demonstrated unwavering commitment to building a professional organization and establishing measurable and uniform benchmarks for success, as well as expanding knowledge-sharing between cities and partner organizations with similar priorities. Key milestones during his chairmanship include the full integration of the CCI Cities Program into the C40, and the C40 Mayors Summits in Sao Paulo and Johannesburg. Under Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership, C40 grew to include 63 cities.

In December 2013 former Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes became Chair of C40. During his tenure Mayor Paes oversaw the addition of more than 20 new member cities - particularly those in the Global South - several groundbreaking research reports, successful international events, and thriving global partnerships – all of which are helping cities make real contributions to the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks. He also helped launch the Compact of Mayors (now the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy), put in place the C40 Cities Finance Facility, and oversaw the opening of a permanent C40 office in Rio de Janeiro, at the Museum of Tomorrow.

In 2015, as C40 marked its 10th anniversary, cities were crucial voices in shaping and advocating for a strong Paris Agreement – just as city leaders will be crucial in delivering on its ambition going forward. More than 1,000 mayors, local representatives, and community leaders from around the world took part in the Climate Summit for Local Leaders, hosted by Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg during COP21.

In August 2016, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo became C40's first woman chair after being voted in unanimously by the Steering Committee.[7] Mayor Hidalgo has announced an ambitious agenda for the organization, including plans to focus on securing green financing, supporting compliance with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, encouraging inclusive and sustainable growth in cities, and recognizing the leadership of women in tackling climate change.

In December 2016, C40 held its sixth biennial Mayors Summit in Mexico City. The global Summit - hosted by Mayor of Mexico City Miguel Ángel Mancera - was attended by 1,400 people, including representatives from more than 90 cities.

C40 cities

C40 has 90 participating member cities across seven geographic regions.[2]


Membership

While C40 originally targeted megacities for their greater capacity to address climate change, C40 now offers three types of membership categories to reflect the diversity of cities taking action to address climate change. The categories consider such characteristics as population size, economic output, environmental leadership, and the length of a city’s membership.[8]

1. Megacities

  • Population: City population of 3 million or more, and/or metropolitan area population of 10 million or more, either currently or projected for 2025. OR
  • GDP: One of the top 25 global cities, ranked by current GDP output, at purchasing-power parity (PPP), either currently or projected for 2025.

2. Innovator Cities

  • Cities that do not qualify as Megacities but have shown clear leadership in environmental and climate change work.
  • An Innovator City must be internationally recognized for barrier-breaking climate work, a leader in the field of environmental sustainability, and a regionally recognized “anchor city” for the relevant metropolitan area.

3. Observer Cities

  • A short-term category for new cities applying to join the C40 for the first time; all cities applying for Megacity or Innovator membership will initially be admitted as Observers until they meet C40’s year-one participation requirements, for up to one year.
  • A longer-term category for cities that meet Megacity or Innovator City guidelines and participation requirements, but for local regulatory or procedural reasons, are unable to approve participation as a Megacity or Innovator City expeditiously.

C40 Global Initiatives

C40 networks help cities replicate, improve and accelerate climate action. These city-only working groups provide for honest knowledge exchange, enabling cities to tap into the global expertise of their peers as well as connect with technical partners. Through networks, cities find opportunities to undertake joint projects in areas of mutual interest and benefit. C40 networks also amplify individual city solutions by providing a global platform for showcasing city successes. Networks are designed to be dynamic and nimble, responding to the changing needs and priorities of participating cities. C40 has established a data-driven approach to identify and launch networks, ensuring that resources are strategically deployed by mapping city priorities to focus areas with the greatest potential GHG and climate risk impact.[9]

C40 Research

The C40 Research, Measurement and Planning team leverages their unprecedented database of city actions, extensive network of partnerships,[10][11] and unique organizational insight to demonstrate the power of cities to address climate change. C40’s Research analyses key trends, identify opportunities for further action across the global C40 network, and help prioritize C40 initiative areas with the greatest potential for action and impact. C40’s research agenda is committed to turning data and planning into implementation. Producing tools, standards and frameworks Research, Measurement and Planning supports cities to implement the most impactful mitigation and adaptation actions and measure and manage their effectiveness.[12]

Management Team

See also

References

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