Less than one week after President Trump announced the US will withdraw from the Paris Agreement, cities around the world are committing to use data to tackle climate change. A new initiative that brings together start-ups, city governments and businesses, to design data-based climate change solutions, was launched today by Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40 Cities, Anne Hidalgo.
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), a network of 91 of the world’s greatest cities committed to tackling climate change, will partner with the innovative tech firm NUMA, to launch DataCity C40 in cities around the world. The initiative is based on successful data city programmes in Paris and Casablanca. DataCity Paris helped save up to 10% on the city’s annual street lighting electricity bill, and therefore cut greenhouse gas emissions, by analyzing data on street usage to identify off-peak times where the lights can be dimmed.
The urgency of the climate crisis means that city leaders must use every tool available to them to tackle the threat, including data. Innovation is already underway in cities worldwide, helping to tackle climate change. Paris and London have recently announced plans to make data available on the real world emission of new cars, to help consumers make informed choices about their impact on air pollution and climate change. In Rio de Janeiro, online tools allow citizens to propose where new sustainable infrastructure such as bike lanes are needed. Through the C40 Cities Solution Platform, the private sector and leading cities are working together to find solutions to urgent climate challenges.
‘DataCity’ was conceived in Paris and every year the project allows us to move a little faster on key issues for Paris but also for other cities around the world,” said Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40. “The alliance of NUMA and C40 will help the great cities of the world to accelerate their green transformation. As Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote: As far as the future is concerned, it is not a question of foreseeing it, but of making it possible”.
L'#innovation doit être au service de l'humain et de l'#environnement. La ville de demain doit laisser sa place à chacun. #Datacity pic.twitter.com/W3I0Qf0btx
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) June 6, 2017
”Cities are both a cause of climate change, its biggest victims and its best hope for a solution,” said Marie-Vorgan Le Barzic, CEO and founder of NUMA. “Plenty of citizens, start-ups and companies are concerned, are already addressing these issues and demonstrate that the solutions are not only found in States and institutions’. This is why NUMA has decided to focus its efforts on solving the 2030 global issues and to strengthen its actions to fight climate change”.
“Cities have consistently shown their commitment to share ideas and learning with each other to help drive climate action further and faster,” said Mark Watts, C40, Executive Director. “Therefore, any innovations generated through DataCity and implemented in one C40 city, could ultimately benefit up to 90 other cities across the network and beyond. C40 are excited to work with NUMA and the next generation of start-ups in cities around the world on this crucial agenda. The stakes could not be higher, but thanks to the innovation happening in cities the ambition of the Paris Agreement can be realised.”
Thanks to all #DataCity partners for this #DemoDay !!! Thanks also to all the attendees and followers, you were so numerous !! pic.twitter.com/OiiIpWPU5q
— NUMA World (@NUMA_World) June 6, 2017