Cities, businesses and citizens are today looking to the most comprehensive roadmap on how they can deliver their part of the Paris Agreement and tackle climate change. According to research by C40 Cities, the network of the 91 world’s greatest cities committed to climate action, concrete achievements in the next four years will determine if it is possible to achieve the vital goal of limiting global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Deadline 2020: How Cities Will Get the Job Done, reveals that the world’s megacities must act to peak emissions by 2020 and then nearly halve carbon emissions for every citizen in a decade, from an average of 5 tons CO2e per capita today to 3 tons CO2e per capita by 2030. If all cities of 100,000 people or more act on the recommendations in the report, the world will achieve 40% of the emissions reductions necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change.
In the specific case of the United States of America, our C40 US research is also very clear. If all US cities pursue deep, rapid emissions reductions, by 2025 cities would contribute more than 1/3 of the emissions reductions needed to meet the United States' commitments to the Paris Agreement.
Mayors, CEOs and citizens are working together as never before to drive climate action, slash greenhouse gas emissions, tackle toxic air pollution and create sustainable, equitable and prosperous cities safe for future generations. This is particularly true of US cities. The 12 US cities that are members of the C40 network have already taken nearly 2,400 individual actions to respond to climate change in the past decade. From retrofitting buildings in New York City to make them more energy efficient, to the rollout of thousands of LED streetlights in Los Angeles, US cities are getting the job done.
“No matter what decision is made by the White House, cities are honouring their responsibilities to implement the Paris Agreement,” said Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40, Anne Hidalgo. “There is no alternative for the future of our planet."
Read C40's full press release here.