C40 Mayors Announce Support for a Global Green New Deal to Fight Climate Change

October 9, 2019 – Today in Copenhagen, Denmark, the newly elected Chair of the C40 group of cities, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, announced the organizations unqualified support for a Global Green New Deal aimed at keeping atmospheric warming below 1.5 Celsius (2.4 Fahrenheit), the target considered most desirable by the signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. C40 is an organization of 90 leading cities around the world representing more than 700 million people and 25% of the global economy.

The announcement noted the Global Green New Deal, a report prepared for the United Nations as the way forward to create a green economy. The C40 announcement came from the World Mayors Summit being held in Copenhagen, and in response to the attempt by industry and a number of governments largely in support of the fossil fuel industry.

The C40 cities reaffirmed a commitment to protecting the environment to build a more equitable future through cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation, building, industry, and waste management industry sectors. The main actions agreed to include:

1. Putting inclusive climate action at the center of all urban decision-making to secure a just transition for those working in high-carbon industries and correct long-running environmental injustices for those disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis – people living in the global south generally, and the poorest communities everywhere.
2. Avoiding the worst impacts of the climate crisis by cutting global GHG emissions in half by 2030. In practical terms that means improving mobility while replacing polluting fossil fuel powered vehicles with clean alternatives, committing mayors to C40 Net Zero carbon buildings, advancing towards full implementation of zero waste management practices, and creating green and healthy streets.

The C40 mayors acknowledged that cutting GHGs will not be enough, and noted that reducing the carbon already into the atmosphere will be needed. In the C40 announcement it says “even standing still isn’t good enough.”

The C40 mayors noted that a challenge remains to get national leaders, CEOs, and investors to be as equally committed to the level of ambition indicated by the Global Green New Deal.

“As mayors, our first priority is to protect the safety of our citizens,” said Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris and former Chair of the C40. “It will soon be four years since the Paris Agreement was signed in our city. World leaders met in New York just last month and once again failed to agree to anything close to the level of action necessary to stop the climate crisis. Their ineptitude directly threatens all people around the globe as time keeps running against us. There is no other solution but a Global Green New Deal to be the pivotal instrument to win this race against the clock. All decision-makers must take responsibility in making it a reality.”

Stated Eric Garcetti, the new C40 Chair, “We are entering a make-or-break decade for the preservation of our planet and environmental justice for every community…Together we will continue leading the drive to protect the world and promote a better, more equitable life for everyone living in it.”

Michael Bloomberg, C40 Board President, and the UN’s Secretary-General Special Envoy for Climate Action, stated, “As the need for bold climate action grows more urgent, mayors and cities are leading the way and getting results. Together, C40 cities have taken thousands of successful actions to reduce carbon emissions, and they are proving how fighting climate change helps drive economic growth and improve public health. There is no time to waste.”

New figures released prior to the conference revealed that 30 cities in the group have peaked their GHG emissions and are rapidly bringing them down to net-zero. Another 100 cities, not all C40 members, have indicated a commitment to deliver climate action plans consistent with the atmospheric heating target of no more than 1.5 Celsius.

The defining principles of the Global Green New Deal initiative include:

1. Recognizing the existence of a global climate emergency and committing to keeping global heating below the 1.5 Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement by curbing emissions in the sectors that are the greatest contributors to the climate crisis.
2. Making inclusive climate action the center of all urban decision-making.
3. Protecting livelihoods, helping end poverty, improving lives, building more equitable societies and securing a just transition for those working in high-carbon industries.
4. Driving an urgent, fundamental, and irreversible transfer of global resources away from fossil fuels and into actions that avert the climate emergency.
5. Inviting political leaders from all levels of government, CEOs, trade unions, investors, and the public to join in recognizing the climate emergency and helping to deliver science-based actions to overcome it.
6. Working with young people to shape a sustainable future, ensuring that their voices are heard, and that they have a part in shaping policies and projects within C40 cities.

Of those who put their names to the press release issued this morning, 30 were leaders in C40 cities from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, and the United States. They were joined by unions and NGOs in endorsing the commitment.