The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) and Arup have released 'Climate Action in Megacities 3.0', the world’s most extensive quantitative study of city climate action.
The report demonstrates that since COP15 cities have taken the lead in climate action by forging a collaborative pathway to low carbon and climate resilient development. Mayors have scaled-up action as now 51 per cent of schemes are delivered city-wide, as opposed to 14 per in 2011.
The study surveys 66 C40 cities and analyses almost 10,000 actions undertaken by cities since the first survey in 2011.
“Our research shows that cities and their partners are working together to effectively mitigate and adapt to climate change. As cities initiate and increase their climate actions, they are making themselves more attractive for investment and partnerships with the private sector. There is both need and potential to do more, and as this knowledge and expertise spreads globally, we expect to see cities’ ambitions grow as we reach a critical stage in international climate change action.
Gregory Hodkinson, Arup Group Chairman
70 per cent of the cities surveyed stated that they are currently experiencing the impact of climate change. But as highlighted in the report, city mayors have shown the ability to share knowledge across geographic, political and economic boundaries, in order to overcome their challenges as 30 per cent of climate action measured is as a result of city-to-city collaboration.
“If cities can work together to tackle climate change, nations can too. By demonstrating the ambition, scale and impact of urban climate action, Climate Action in Megacities 3.0 should provide hope to the world and a backbone to the climate negotiators assembling in Paris this month to agree on a new, universal climate change accord.
Eduardo Paes, C40 Chair and Mayor of Rio de Janeiro
The emissions impact of city climate action has the potential to be significant on the global scale: low carbon urban development across all the world’s cities would save 45 Gt CO2 by 2030 – equivalent to eight times the current emissions of the United States.
“While it has been a long wait for the new climate treaty we all hope will be agreed in Paris, I have always known that the lack of an agreement at COP15 in Copenhagen wouldn’t stop mayors. City leaders have showed unflagging leadership and innovation in taking climate action since then – and we now have the data to prove it.
Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change
Arup has worked with C40 since 2009, to develop strategic pieces of research that are central to progressing an understanding of how cities contribute to global climate change mitigation and adaptation. In June, Arup and C40 announced the formation of a collaborative global partnership to develop and deliver rigorous research, to improve the measurement, management and strategic planning of climate action in cities. Over the next three years, Arup will invest $1 million into research through the Arup-C40 partnership.