Today, CDP launched its annual InFocus Reports, which catalogue city climate actions around the world. This year, five C40 cities are being recognized in the reports for their leadership in climate change disclosure. These cities have received the highest scores in their regions for the quality and detail of their reported climate related-data.

Today, C40 announced the 35 finalists competing in ten urban climate action categories for the fourth-annual C40 Cities Awards, sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and BYD. The winners will be announced on December 1, 2016, at a ceremony in Mexico City, held alongside the sixth biennial C40 Mayors Summit.

This week, the City of Sydney agreed on ambitious new targets for 50 per cent of electricity used in the local area to come from renewable energy by 2030, and for net zero emissions by 2050. We have already committed to our long-term vision, Sustainable Sydney 2030, a program to take urgent climate action and reduce emissions by 70 per cent by 2030.

For a number of years, a group of C40 cities active in the Green Growth Network have been working to understand the size and nature of their green economies. This information - including economic value, number of jobs, number of companies, specialist sectors, exports, and green growth potential - is crucial to help cities identify where the most effective interventions can be made and help make the case for further sustainable policies that help grow the green economy. 

At the start of December 2015, all eyes were on Paris for the COP21 climate negotiations, regarded by many as a pivotal moment in determining global climate action. C40 was fortunate to be there on the ground to help showcase innovative and effective climate actions taking place in the world’s cities. Through a series of fantastic events at Paris City Hall, Le Bourget and other iconic locations around the city, mayors from around the world gathered to celebrate successful projects and plans, share their stories and knowledge, voice their ideas, and establish opportunities for action over the next 5 years and beyond.

The City of Sydney has been carbon neutral since 2008. Amidst strong economic growth, emissions across our Local Government Area have fallen 12 per cent since 2006 and we have reduced emissions in our own buildings and operations by over 23 per cent.

What climate risks does the city of Venice face? What actions has Sydney undertaken to prepare for future heatwaves? What has Paris done to reduce its carbon footprint? The answers to these questions and more are now available in 10 In Focus City Reports that provide insight into how the world's leading cities are becoming more sustainable.

C40’s Private Sector Buildings Energy Efficiency Network (PSBEEN) has more than 15 active members, spanning Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America. Member cities recently gathered for a workshop hosted by the Metropolitan Government of Tokyo, where C40 had the privilege of appointing Tokyo and Sydney as co-chairs of the network. The two cities will play a crucial role as thought leaders and communicators, helping to drive the uptake of best practices in global cities. Zoe Sprigings, our Network Manager for Energy Efficiency, talked to city representatives Yuko Nishida (Tokyo) and Tom Belsham (Sydney) to find out more about their cities’ motivation and vision for leadership.

This month, an innovative new program, Smart Blocks, was launched in two Australian C40 cities, Melbourne and Sydney. Smart Blocks is a national program designed to help apartment owners and their managers save money by improving energy efficiency in apartment buildings.

The City of Sydney has announced plans for a revitalized city center, starting with a project that will remove cars from congested main thoroughfare and transform the area into a spacious plaza, complete with trees and pedestrians. But that won’t mean commuters will have to pick an alternate route – the plaza is part of a larger light rail project by the NSW Government, which will make Sydney more accessible by public transit while making the city greener.

Last week, the City of Sydney signed an Environmental Upgrade Agreement (EUA) with Frasers Property and Eureka Funds Management to build a mixed-use, green energy infrastructure housing development.

Readers of this blog understand the importance of climate change and the reason to focus on cities. Today more than half the world’s population lives in cities. By 2050 that number will be closer to 75 percent.

The City of Sydney announced a plan to deploy LED lighting across the city center, halving the electricity use and carbon pollution of its street and park lights. The highly efficient, low-carbon lights will cost $7 million and be rolled out over the course of three years, starting with the Bicentennial Park in Glebe. Since public lighting accounts for a third of the city’s annual electricity use and 30 percent of its carbon pollution, the project stands to realize enormous environmental benefits.

The C40 city of Sydney has announced the launch of the largest building-mounted solar project in Australia, committing to install solar photovoltaic panels across 30 sites citywide, beginning with the Sydney Park pavilion. With a total peak electrical capacity of 1.25 megawatts (MW), the solar project is expected to reduce the city’s carbon pollution by as much as 2,250 tonnes.

This week, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore announced the start of a major retrofit project throughout the City of Sydney’s 45 properties designed to make them more water and energy efficient.

Sydney will be the first Australian city to install a network of LED street and park lights, part of the city’s overall commitment to an ambitions greenhouse gas reduction target.

The City of Sydney recently announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Low Carbon Australia Ltd (LCAL) to encourage businesses to invest in low-carbon technologies by helping building owners and tenants find the financial and technical solutions to reduce their energy consumption.

The C40 News Team interviews Lord Mayor Clover Moore of Sydney.

Sydney Mayor Clover Moore joined the C40 News Team for an interview during last week's Summit. In this video, she talks about the importance of the C40 in offering knowledge, support and inspiration to cities like Sydney.