This year’s C40 Mayors Summit, held in Mexico City, awarded eleven cities across the world for their advanced efforts to reduce the impact of climate change. The ceremony was held at the Mayors Summit which collects together the mayors of 40 of the world’s leading cities combating climate change and creating livable cities for their citizens.
The Summit and awards emphasize the role which cities and their mayors play in the transition towards a low-carbon future, highlighting the great achievements possible within the scope of a single city. The summit’s expert awards panel, of former mayors, climate experts, and others, considered achievements by cities in ten areas of climate action designed to reduce emissions and improve resiliency. The categories, and the awarded city, are: Transportation, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Adaptation in Action, Copenhagen, Denmark; Sustainable Communities, Curitiba, Brazil; Solid Waste, Kolkata, India; Building Energy Efficiency, Sydney & Melbourne, Australia; Adaptation Plans & Assessments, Paris, France; Climate Action Plans & Inventories, Portland, Oregon, USA; Social Equity & Climate Change, Seoul, South Korea; Finance & Economic Development, Shenzhen, China; and Clean Energy, Yokohama, Japan.
Among these ten cities, Shenzhen, China was awarded for its successful launch of an Emissions Trading System. As one of the world’s fastest growing cities, Shenzhen’s role in reducing overall emissions is significant, but also presented considerable challenges. The city’s program has already recruited 636 enterprises who have already contributed to a marked decreased in carbon emission intensity without sacrificing economic growth. The C40 awards panel emphasized the significance of this contribution, marking a successful uncoupling of GDP potential and GHG emission, a necessary step in convincing the world’s governments that sustainability need not mean decreased economic vitality.
Read the C40 experts panel’s reasoning for awarding Shenzhen, as well as the other awarded cities
