City climate action requires active collaboration between the private sector and civil society
Almost 1,700 companies globally now recognise that the transition to a zero-carbon economy is the only way to secure sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all. But research from C40 has shown that collaboration with the private sector is one of the biggest barriers to implementing climate action for cities. This is why the Global Green New Deal advocates for coalition-building with all stakeholders including businesses and community networks.
The private sector has a key role to play in supporting and scaling the implementation of climate action plans and reducing the hidden carbon footprint of urban consumption. City-business collaboration can boost the growth of green jobs, develop skills, and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy while generating municipal revenue, but no single actor can deliver transformational change on its own.
Cities recognise this and are moving beyond relying only on stakeholder consultation, by prioritising genuine collaboration between communities and businesses to co-create projects that empower residents and result in greater support for city climate actions. Innovative city, business, and community collaborations are essential to keeping the 1.5°C trajectory alive.
Setting joint climate goals between the public and private sectors to enable collective action
C40’s business and innovation programmes provide technical assistance to city governments to engage communities and the private sector to collaborate on climate action. These programmes set joint climate goals between the public and private sectors at the city level, aligned to local priority areas. They help create momentum, enabling collective action, scaling and advocacy through building effective coalitions at the local, regional and global levels.
This model for collaboration is working; there is currently a pipeline of more than 40 tangible and sustainable developments across C40 cities, which involve city-business collaboration and empower local communities.
Partners include the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), CDP, P4G, the UN and regional delivery partners. More than 10,000 businesses have been involved to date.
Contacts for more information
- City-Business Climate Alliance (CBCA): info@city-businessclimatealliance.org
- City Solutions Platform: c40citysolutionsplatform@gmail.com
- Reinventing Cities: reinventingcities@c40.org
- New Economies and Innovation Forum: neif@c40.org