Tag: Rio+C40

“Was the Rio journey worth it?” asked World Bank expert Dan Hoornweg in a recent post on the Sustainable Cities blog for urban development professionals. Reflecting on his experience at the Rio+20 Earth Summit, Hoornweg noted that the normally “grey” issue of sustainable development seemed to be a lot more black and white: the actions that need to be taken are clearer than ever, he said, and cities have a large role to play.

While the success of the Summit and its outcomes can be debated, many agree that cities are leading the way in battling the impacts of global climate change. This consensus was reflected at Rio + C40, a daylong event organized by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, which showcased the tangible actions are now taking across the world.

The recent Rio + C40: Mayors Taking Action on Climate Change event at Rio+20 concluded with a plenary session on the C40 Cities’ commitment to concrete actions in the fight against climate change. It was the perfect cap to an eventful day in which C40 announced new initiatives and new data on the carbon impact of city-led actions; as well as convened global cities to participate in roundtable discussions on governance issues, green growth and poverty eradication, and climate adaptation and risk assessment.

After announcing several key advancements in the measurable actions cities are taking to combat the impacts of climate change, C40 Mayors participated in Rio + C40 roundtable discussions on governance issues, green growth and poverty eradication, in addition to an afternoon roundtable on the topic of climate adaptation and risk assessment.

Last week’s Rio + C40 event provided a forum for Mayors of C40 Cities and technical experts to share best practices and offer insights on policies and programs aimed at tackling climate change-related issues. We previously posted on the event’s first roundtable relating to governance issues. For our next installment, we would like to share video of the day’s second roundtable discussion focused on green growth and poverty eradication.