A global vision for climate, health and economic benefits for all people
The C40 Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force was established in April of 2020 at the direction of C40 Chair and Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, and is chaired by Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala. The Task Force is guided by a Statement of Principles, endorsed by dozens of city leaders from around the world.
In July of 2020, the Task Force released the C40 Mayors’ Agenda for a Green and Just Recovery which defined a collective vision, put forward concrete policies and initiatives, and called for action by all governments and institutions to support its efforts.
In October of 2020, the Task Force released research which makes it clear that a green and just recovery would:
- Create over 50 million good, sustainable jobs by 2025, across the nearly 100 cities in the C40 network and their supply chains. Over a third more than investing funds in a ‘high-carbon recovery’.
- Save lives by reducing air pollution by almost 30% in cities around the world. Such improvements could prevent 270,000 premature deaths over the next decade in C40’s nearly 100 member cities and – as shown in existing research – make further coronavirus pandemics less likely by reducing habitat destruction.
- Lead to over $1.4 billion savings in health costs for avoided hospital admissions on respiratory and cardiovascular diseases associated with poor air quality, and deliver wider economic benefits of over $280 billion over the next 10 years from premature deaths averted. This is particularly valuable at a time when health care systems and public sector budgets are facing unprecedented pressure.
- More than halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, getting on track to keep global heating below 1.5 degrees, unlike a return to business as usual in which GHG emissions would continue to rise.
The Task Force has also called for an end to public fossil fuel investments and subsidies; commitments to an equitable and inclusive recovery; protecting mass transit; and investing in clean energy and in resilient cities as the engines of the recovery.
The members of the Recovery Task Force are:
Chair of the Task Force Mayor of Milan, Italy, Giuseppe Sala; Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, Yvonne Aki Sawyerr; Secretary for the Environment of Hong Kong, China, KS Wong; Mayor of Lisbon, Portugal, Fernando Medina; Mayor of Rotterdam, Netherlands, Ahmed Aboutaleb; Mayor of Medellín, Colombia, Daniel Quintero Calle; Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Australia, Sally Capp; Mayor of Montréal, Canada, Valérie Plante; Mayor of New Orleans, USA, LaToya Cantrell; Mayor of Seattle, USA, Jenny Durkan; Mayor of Seoul, South Korea, Won-soon Park.