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C40 membership grows to 75 global cities

16 March 2015

by Richard Forster

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) has welcomed five new members to its global network of cities committed to tackling climate change and increasing urban resilience.

The addition of Amman, Durban, Jaipur, Quito, and Salvador brings C40’s overall membership to 75 cities, a key milestone in the organisation’s expansion efforts and a testament to the success of city-to-city collaboration on climate change.

“By taking bold action and collaborating, mayors around the world are driving the climate change agenda on a global scale toward lower emissions and greater resilience,” said Eduardo Paes, C40 Chair and Mayor of Rio de Janeiro. “These five cities truly represent the diversity and ethos of the C40–they span three continents but are united in their desire to increase the health, well-being and economic opportunities of urban citizens.”

Amman, Jaipur, and Salvador join C40 as Megacities, with a population of 3 million or more, while Durban and Quito join as Innovator Cities, a membership category for cities with smaller populations that have shown clear leadership in environmental and climate change work.

Michael Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change and President of the C40 Board
Michael Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change and President of the C40 Board

“The C40 network keeps growing because more and more cities are finding opportunities to confront climate change in ways that improve people’s lives today,” said Michael Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change and President of the C40 Board. “For the UN climate treaty negotiations this December to be successful, nations will have to commit to doing more and acting faster to shrink their carbon footprints–and cities, including the five new members of C40, are helping point the way forward.”

The five new member cities represent an estimated 21 million people and have each demonstrated strong leadership in climate action in their regions.

Amman, Jordan:  Transport, solid waste management and greenhouse gas emissions measurement have been identified by Amman as key action areas over the next three years. Amman is also fostering energy efficiency in buildings through active participation in the Jordan Green Building Council, and the city will host a C40 workshop on creditworthiness in May.

Durban, South Africa: As host city of UN COP17 in 2011, Durban actively mobilised other local authorities to develop the Durban Adaptation Charter, which was signed by 107 mayors and local government officials worldwide and set out to intensify action and accelerate local adaptation efforts. The City of Durban has also developed a strong climate change measurement competency.

Jaipur, India: Jaipur City Transport Services Limited expanded its fleet from 200 buses in 2010 to 400 in 2014 and the Jaipur Municipal Corporation is working on an eco-friendly Public Bicycle Sharing project to place between 200-1,000 shared bicycles in the city. Jaipur is also integrated into the Rajasthan State Action Plan on Climate Change, with a strong focus on adaptation.

Quito, Ecuador: The city aims to reduce GHG emissions by 10 percent using 2012 as a base year. The city has a number of sustainability measures in place through a climate action plan, including an integrated transport system that carries more than 772,000 passengers per day, a public bicycle share system, BICI-Quito, more than 64 kilometers of bike paths, and the first line of a metro system.

Salvador, Brazil: The city began work on a greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) inventory in early 2015 in order to prepare a Climate Change Policy with GHG emission reduction targets. The city is also in the process of establishing an incentive for citizens to increase bicycle use, and has built rental stations for public bicycles and aims to have 90 kilometres of bike paths by 2016.

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