Our vision for achieving climate, social and economic justice – together
We must shift to a new economic paradigm, focused on improving everyone’s quality of life, while living within environmental boundaries. Now more than ever, the world needs a bold vision that is backed up by action – that vision is the Global Green New Deal, launched in 2019 at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen.
The Global Green New Deal lays out a set of principles to be adopted by cities around the world and takes a collaborative approach to climate action. The Global Green New Deal coalition is a vital part of this work and is composed of political leaders, investors, businesses, labour unions, young people, civil society and communities disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis and poverty.
The Global Green New Deal is, by nature, a holistic, intersectional approach to climate action, recognising that climate, social and economic justice can only be achieved together.
In the cities and communities we build together, everyone will have the right to clean air, a living wage, good green jobs, protection from extreme weather, healthy local food, a safe place to live, and green spaces to enjoy – regardless of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship status, ability, or socio-economic status.
Principles of the Global Green New Deal
- We recognise the global climate emergency.
- We are committed to keeping global heating below the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement by curbing emissions in the sectors that are the greatest contributors to the climate crisis: transportation, buildings, and waste.
- We are committed to putting inclusive climate action at the centre of all urban decision-making, to create thriving and equitable communities for everyone.
- We invite our partners – political leaders, CEOs, trade unions, investors, and civil society – to join us in recognising the global climate emergency and help us deliver on science-based action to overcome it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many systemic issues – widespread inequality, the importance of public services and essential workers, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, etc – and challenged us to do more. At the end of the day, recovering from the pandemic and delivering a Global Green New Deal have the same basic goal: to give everyone, everywhere a good quality of life and access to the resources and opportunities they need to shape their future and thrive in healthy, resilient communities.
The pandemic has made it clear that existing economic and political systems often fail to protect our communities and our ecosystems, especially the most vulnerable. However, when we prioritize people and communities over profit, we can build economies and cities that work for everyone and don’t bring harm to the living world around us.
A Global Green New Deal is not just about implementing new policies or providing temporary support – it’s also about reckoning with, addressing, and transforming old policies and systems that have contributed to injustices suffered by frontline communities for decades (if not centuries).
A regionally-diverse approach is essential to delivering equitable climate action: all voices must be represented and taken into account
That’s why a core component of our Global Green New Deal is our Implementation Pilot programme. This flagship Pilot supports targeted engagement, initially in five pilot cities, but will expand to more cities, focusing on delivering inclusive climate action, a just transition and demonstrating what C40’s vision for a Global Green New Deal –including a green and just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic – looks like in practice. The initiative will draw on C40’s expertise to advance climate mitigation targets, a just and equitable transition, and adaptive resilience in North America, Europe, Africa and Latin America.