COP28: 250 C40 mayors mobilize $467 million for the climate resilience of cities
From London (England) to Freetown (Sierra Leone) via Buenos Aires (Argentina), 250 local elected officials traveled to take part in the COP28 meetings. Their collective determination to strengthen the economic and climate resilience of cities is starting to bear fruit, notably with $467 million collected on the single day of December 1, 2023.
Only five days until the end of the 28th United Nations Climate Conference of the Parties (COP28). Among the prominent participants in this Emirati edition are the mayors. In total, 250 representatives of local authorities from Africa, Europe, America and Asia are touring the pavilions of Expo City Dubai to make their voices heard in the panels on the energy transition, the gender equality or sustainable transport.
Areas which are essential to ensure sustainable urban growth at a time when most of the world's metropolises (Lagos, Kinshasa, Beijing, New York, etc.) are not immune to the economic consequences of climate change. Thus, beyond the exchanges, local elected officials managed to collect up to 470 million dollars from foundations such as Bloomberg Philanthropies and donors during the Local Climate Action Summit which was held in COP28 village. The initiative was supervised by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership.
“We call for a phase-out of fossil fuels by 2030 and more direct investment in urban areas to accelerate a just transition to tackle the climate crisis. Cities contribute to more than 75% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Rapid action is expected from all to jointly achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement to maintain a temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius ,” indicates the international coalition of mayors platform based in the United Kingdom.
The $467 million should therefore make it possible, from 2024, to support the implementation of ongoing projects on energy efficiency, natural disaster management, food security and less polluting modes of transport in several municipalities, particularly those of 'Africa. This is therefore a notable step forward for the mayors since their international meeting in 2022 in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) during which they demanded “more climate financing” from development partners and multinationals.
