Cities around the globe honoured for fight against climate change

LONDON: Ten cities from around the world were recognised for their innovative approaches in tackling climate change at the City Climate Leadership Awards ceremony in London recently.

The inaugural award was organised by Siemens and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40). The awards honoured 10 cities for excellence in urban sustainability and leadership, in the fight against climate change.

“The C40 & Siemens City Climate Leadership Awards are dedicated to the idea that cities — by refusing to wait for action from national governments and international bodies — can lead the way in addressing the risks posed by climate change,” said C40 chair and New York City mayor Michael R Bloomberg.

“Using innovative local approaches, cities are having an impact on climate change, globally. I congratulate the 10 award recipients and look forward to seeing their projects progress and spread across the C40 network and beyond,” he said.

Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens’ Infrastructure and Cities Sector, said the world’s cities are facing similar problems and they account for up to 70% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.

“We all know two things: the fight against climate change will be decided in cities. And it is through cooperation that we can tackle climate change. The City Climate Leadership Awards are a prime example of our successful cooperation with C40. It helps cities to optimise their performances and share their experiences. Its value is immeasurable,” he said.

The awards give global recognition to cities whose performance and expertise in climate action will serve as a learning platform for other cities, going forward. Highlights of the award-winning initiatives will be showcased in the Sustainable Cities exhibition at the Crystal in London, and in a forthcoming report. The Crystal was built by Siemens and is one of the greenest buildings in the world.

The winning cities and their award categories are:

•     Bogota (Urban Transportation)
•     Copenhagen (Carbon Measurement and Planning)
•     Melbourne (Energy Efficient Built Environment)
•     Mexico City (Air Quality)
•     Munich (Green Energy)
•     New York City (Adaptation and Resilience)
•     Rio de Janeiro (Sustainable Communities)
•     San Francisco (Waste Management)
•     Singapore (Intelligent City Infrastructure)
•     Tokyo (Finance and Economic Development)

The independent seven-member judging panel consisted of former city mayors, architects and representatives of the World Bank, C40 and Siemens. A total of 37 projects in 29 cities were evaluated as finalists.

For the 2014 awards, cities will be able to apply for the awards and organisations with a significant presence in climate action, and will be given the opportunity to nominate urban climate action initiatives.

Details will be made available on the website in early November.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on September 06, 2013.