- Rio de Janeiro joins 27 C40 cities worldwide in committing to procure only zero-emission buses from 2025 and ensure a major area of the city is zero emission by 2030.
- Read this release in Portuguese.
The Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Crivella, today committed to a series of ambitious targets to make the city greener, healthier and more prosperous.
By signing the C40 Green and Healthy Streets Declaration, the City of Rio de Janeiro commits to procure only zero-emission buses in contracts and concessions signed from 1 January 2025 and ensure that a major area of the city is zero emission by 2030. The policies are designed to fight air pollution, improve the quality of life for all citizens, and take more climate action.
In Rio, transport is responsible for one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions and over 75% of the highly dangerous pollutants in the air that cause lung and heart disease, early deaths and hospital admissions. Taking action on transport in Rio will vastly improve the public health of citizens and ensure their right to breathe clean air in the city.
If all C40 cities meet the commitments of the Green & Healthy Streets Declaration and encourage more people out of their cars, it would potentially prevent more than 45,000 premature deaths each year.
Rio joins London, Paris, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Rome, Quito, Vancouver, Mexico City, Milan, Seattle, Auckland & Cape Town, to become the 28th city to sign the Declaration.
“As one of the busiest and most populous cities in the world, we are taking vital steps to improve Rio’s transport system to reduce air pollution, make the roads safer, and provide high-quality, efficient public transport for our citizens.” said the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Bezerra Crivella.
The mayor of Rio has signed a decree to replace all fossil fuel vehicles currently being used in the municipal transport system with zero-emission vehicles (zero tailpipe emissions, especially hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric vehicles).
The city will conduct an initial report on the current situation of the municipal transport system, taking into account the municipal public transport bus fleet and other municipal public transport vehicles including vans and cars. This report will provide the municipality with technical support on how to take measures to replace fossil fuel vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, including the infrastructure required, in order not to hinder the performance of the municipal public transport system.
Mark Watts, C40 Executive Director, said: “Air pollution caused by petrol and diesel vehicles is responsible for the early deaths of millions of people in cities around the world. Emissions from these vehicles are also contributing to the climate crisis that threatens us all. By committing to Green and Healthy Streets, Mayor Crivella is ensuring a healthier and more sustainable future for the citizens of Rio de Janeiro, and contributing to the global leadership of mayors in fighting climate breakdown.”
Signatories to the Green and Healthy Streets Declaration “envision a future where walking, cycling, and shared transport are how the majority of citizens move around our cities.” The cities, therefore, commit to:
- Increase rates of walking, cycling and the use of public and shared transport.
- Reduce the number of polluting vehicles on city streets.
- Lead by example by procuring zero emission vehicles for city fleets.
- Collaborate with suppliers, fleet operators and businesses to accelerate the shift to zero emissions vehicles and reduce vehicle miles in cities.
- Cities will report back every two years on the progress they are making towards the goals of the C40 Declaration.