- Mayors will gather in Buenos Aires for triennial conference on local climate action and securing a sustainable, equitable future
- Summit is expected to shape global climate discourse ahead of COP27
C40 Cities, the network of nearly 100 mayors of world-leading cities taking urgent action to confront the climate crisis, today announced that more than 30 mayors from around the world are set to join the 8th convening of the C40 World Mayors Summit, which will be hosted by Buenos Aires this year.
The summit is the largest international gathering of mayors and city officials on climate action; a variety of business leaders, advocates, investors, scientists, youth, labour and city residents are expected to attend, as well, to identify actions that cut emissions, create new green jobs and protect people from the effects of global heating. It will take place two weeks before the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and serve as an important moment to learn from city climate action successes and shape the global climate agenda.
This year’s summit will explore solutions and call for action around three themes, driven by the current climate context and global recovery from COVID-19
- Green recovery: the world’s cities’ recovery from COVID-19 needs to be green and fair, to ensure quality of life, equity and wellbeing for all.
- Wellbeing cities: wellbeing should underpin all public policy and guide policymakers in how they plan, assess and design cities during and after the pandemic.
- Climate financing: cities can no longer wait for green finance to start flowing. They need more investment to ensure a sustainable future where everyone can thrive – particularly in the Global South.
“Innovative climate change solutions are largely coming from cities and towns across the world, and the C40 World Mayors Summit is a chance to highlight some of the boldest and best and help them spread,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, President of the C40 Board, Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and UN Special Envoy on Climate Solutions and Ambition. “This year’s summit can help us move faster on climate change by bringing together mayors who are leading the way.”
“C40’s mayoral network together represent over 700 million citizens and one quarter of the global economy,” said Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities. “They are a vital force in the fight against climate change. Cities have always been incubators of solutions and innovation, and the summit will showcase examples of how cities are already delivering on their climate commitments and innovating to a sustainable, healthier, and inclusive future.”
Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, Mayor of the city of Buenos Aires and a Vice Chair of C40, said: “We are very excited to receive mayors from all over the world in the city of Buenos Aires, as well as experts, international figures, and the youth. Together, we will discuss environmental, economic and social policies to help preserve the future of the planet. As leaders from global cities, it is our responsibility to show that a green path is possible, that the effort to take care of our environment positively impacts people’s well-being, and that united in action we can find innovative solutions to tackle climate change.”
In the coming weeks and months C40 and the city of Buenos Aires will share more details on speakers and events at the event, and how to participate virtually from anywhere in the world.
This year’s host city, Buenos Aires, has been an active member of C40 since 2016. In recent years, the city has been enacting bold and innovative climate solutions with the ultimate goal of halving carbon emissions by 2030 and going full carbon neutral by 2050. Previous C40 summits have been hosted by London, New York, Seoul, São Paulo, Johannesburg, Mexico City and Copenhagen.