C40 Cities, a GSN working on the sustainable development issues of climate change in urban centers, awarded 10 cities with the annual C40 Cities Award. The award program, launched in 2013, recognizes successes in programs that reduce emissions and improve sustainability—they are intended to catalyze ambition, and share lessons with cities around the world.
Mayors and urban leaders around the world are focusing more and more on developing programs to promote the sustainability of their cities. Urban areas are vulnerable to stresses caused by aging or inadequate infrastructure, populations density and battles over priorities. The increasing pressures brought on by the effects of climate change have amplified those stresses.
The COP21 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris was the occasion to name the award winners for 2015:
Boston: Smart Cities & Smart Community Engagement
Cape Town: Adaptation Implementation
Johannesburg: Finance & Economic Development
Nanjing: Transportation
New York: Building Energy Efficiency
Rotterdam: Adaptation Planning & Assessment
Stockholm: Sustainable Communities
Vancouver: Carbon Measurement & Planning
Washington, D.C.: Green Energy
Wuhan: Solid Waste
C40 received more than 200 applications from 94 cities for the 2015 Awards; these were reviewed in partnership with sustainability think tank and consultancy Sustainia. Of the ten awards categories, four are open to C40 Cities and those that are part of the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of mayors and city officials committed to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, enhance resilience to climate change and track their progress transparently.
The C40 Cities Awards recognizes mayors who are doing the hard work of taking action on climate change — and delivering results. The solutions highlighted through the Awards offer models for other cities to follow, and it is great to see the number of applications increase each year — a sure sign that our progress is accelerating,” said C40 President and UN Secretary General Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg. “Cities are leading by example, and tonight’s winners are at the forefront of that work.
C40 Cities Awards winners represent leading projects in urban sustainability, but city climate action is accelerating around the world – according to recent C40 research, C40 cities have taken 10,000 city climate actions since the last major COP in Copenhagen.