CIFF commits $5.3 million to help 30 cities measure and report greenhouse gas emissions

British philanthropy the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and C40 are working together to ensure the use of a new system for transparently measuring and reporting city emissions. CIFF will provide $5.3 million to help a minimum of 30 C40 cities in the Global South to conduct accurate inventories of their greenhouse gas emissions, set targets and develop action plans.

The aim of the investment is to create a critical mass of cities across the world quantifying their urban emissions and setting robust reduction targets using an international gold standard – Global Protocol for Community Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories (GPC) – and thereby supporting the implementation of the Compact of Mayors.

Shirley Rodrigues, CIFF Climate Change Director. Photo: Jasper Carlberg

"To protect and secure a healthy and sustainable future for children, we support the urgent global transition to a low carbon economy," said Graeme Sweeney, a CIFF trustee and chairman of its climate investment committee. " We are supporting the adoption of a new global system for transparently measuring and reporting greenhouse gases emissions, which will allow mayors to identify and seek finance for the most cost-effective opportunities for climate action."

Graeme Sweeney, CIFF Trustee and Chairman of the Climate Change Advisory Board. Photo: Jasper Carlberg

"As C40 Chair and Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, I know that building a greenhouse gas emissions inventory enables city leaders to manage their emissions reduction efforts, allocate resources and develop comprehensive climate action plans," said Eduardo Paes, C40 Chair and Mayor of Rio de Janeiro. “I strongly encourage other cities around the world to take up this new standard as a key step in the global fight against climate change.”