On the final day of London Climate Action Week, we celebrated the partnerships launched at last year’s event and showcased new research helping cities accelerate climate action.
Throughout the week, mayors have made clear that cities are delivering the practical solutions people need, and together with partners, they are demonstrating the leadership needed to tackle today’s challenges.
Accelerating the transition to net-zero freight
Cities have a vital role to play in decarbonising freight, and new research launched this week shows how quickly that transition can happen.
Developed by C40 Cities, Arup, and the University of Exeter, the report identifies the tipping points that can accelerate the uptake of zero-emission freight and highlights how city leadership, policy and collaboration can unlock faster climate action.
“It’s not just about identifying barriers, it’s about identifying how far we can go.” – Kara H. Hurst , Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon
This research was developed with support from Laneshift, an initiative from The Climate Pledge and C40 Cities.
Partnerships delivering real-world impact
One year after announcing partnerships with Uber and Mars at London Climate Action Week, both partnerships are delivering practical results for cities.
Mars x C40
With Mars, C40 is helping cities expand access to urban nature and create greener, healthier neighbourhoods for people and their pets.
During the week, a walking tour of London’s green spaces demonstrated how nature can help cities become more resilient to extreme heat while improving residents’ lives.
Uber x C40
With Uber, we are helping remove barriers to electric vehicle adoption for high-mileage drivers. Pilot programmes are now underway in London, Rio de Janeiro, Phoenix and Los Angeles, with the potential to benefit more than 130,000 drivers.
In London, the project is exploring how existing but underused charging infrastructure can be shared with drivers, providing faster access to charging without waiting for new infrastructure to be built.
“We have put chargers in areas where London Uber drivers actually live. Perhaps obvious in hindsight, but it’s been a major game changer.” – Andrew Brem, UK General Manager, Uber, on why chargers must be fitted in residential areas.
Young leaders shaping tomorrow’s cities.
A powerful moment between C40 Co-Chair Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr and youth climate leader Beatriz Tonon highlighted how the climate crisis is already affecting communities around the world and that cities are responding with practical solutions.
They made clear that city leadership alone is not enough, and delivering the scale of adaptation needed requires greater investment, stronger partnerships and urgent action to protect the people most vulnerable to climate impacts.
Their closing message made clear that cities are ready to lead, and the time to match ambition with action is now.
Local leaders driving progress
This week, mayors appeared in media around the world, from the BBC to Bloomberg, showing that cities are not waiting for change. They are solving today’s challenges with practical climate action that improves lives and demonstrates the power of collaborative leadership.