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. While media coverage of the negotiations was ample, cities and their mayors rose to the fore as leaders demonstrating tangible climate action.
C40 mayors and the solutions they champion were on display at the C40 Cities Awards, as well as at the Climate Summit for Local Leaders the following day, where celebrities – including Leonardo diCaprio and Robert Redford – and global leaders and thinkers – including Al Gore and Ban Ki Moon – lauded mayors’ accomplishments at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. The Guardian’s John Vidal perhaps said it best with the headline: Feted by Hollywood, city mayors take starring role in Paris climate talks.
Media outlets from around the world joined in on recognizing the critical work of mayors in general and C40 specifically. Some highlights from around the globe include Xinhua (China), Le Figaro (France), The New York Times and Wall Street Journal (United States), the Financial Times and BBC (United Kingdom) and RFI-Brasil and O Globo (Brazil).
Additionally, several outlets featured C40 mayors in video segments, including Huffington Post, CNN International, Bloomberg TV (below) and Le Monde (bottom).
For more notable articles, see below:
- Atlantic CityLab: Why Cities Are Key to Success at the Paris Climate Talks
- Bloomberg Business: How Mayors From Seattle to Shenzhen Lead on Pollution
- Fortune: How (and Why) Cities Are Stealing the Show at Paris Climate Talks
- Gizmodo: Why Cities Are Better at Fighting Climate Change Than Countries
- Nature Magazine: Cities bask in spotlight at Paris climate talks
- The Economist: Local policies can combat emissions where international ones fall short
- TIME: How Cities and States Took the Spotlight in Paris Climate Talks