World’s 20 Best Climate Projects Compete for the 2022 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards
- The awards recognise leadership in urban climate action
- Finalists include 20 city projects leading the path for a greener future
- Winners will be announced on 19 October at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires
Today, C40 Cities and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced 20 finalists for the 2022 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards. The awards celebrate the most ambitious and impactful projects spearheaded by mayors from around the world to tackle the global climate crisis.
The awards focus on five categories that align with this year’s C40 World Mayors Summit theme, United in Action:
- United to accelerate immediate action in critical sectors
- United to clean the air we breathe
- United in building climate resilience
- United to innovate
- United in building a climate movement
The 20 finalists, two thirds of which are based in the Global South, illustrate what leadership looks like in building an innovative, resilient, and inclusive future. The winners, which will be announced in October at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires, will have demonstrated ambitious climate action while ensuring better, longer lives for a great number of people.
“Congratulations to all of the C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards finalists on your bold and innovative project submissions,” said Sadiq Khan, Chair of C40 Cities and the Mayor of London. “Cities, local leaders and mayors are leading the way when it comes to tackling the climate emergency and by harnessing their ambition and vision, we can help cities around the world become greener, fairer and more sustainable.”
“Innovative solutions to climate change are coming from bold and pragmatic mayors across the world, and it’s important to celebrate their successes,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, C40 Board President, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, and Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies. “This year’s finalists are leading from the front, and if more public officials – at all levels – emulate their approach, we can improve public health, create jobs, and win the fight against climate change.”
“The C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards celebrate a diverse set of local actions that are making a strong impact on the world around us,” said C40 Executive Director Mark Watts. “This year’s finalists are helping to advance inclusive climate actions that benefit all city residents equitably. Six of the shortlisted projects are based in Latin America, underscoring the region’s incredible climate leadership that will be on further display later this year at the C40 World Mayors Summit.”
Seventy cities from around the world applied to compete in this year’s prestigious awards. To select finalists, Nordic Sustainability assessed applications against six criteria: immediate climate impact, expected climate impact, wider benefits, innovation, collaboration, as well as sharing and scaling. Climate experts from C40 and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy then assessed a shortlist of candidates and selected the finalists, which will now be reviewed by an esteemed jury.
“On behalf of the jury, I am pleased to congratulate this year’s C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards finalists on their climate achievements and leadership,” said Jennifer Musisi, lawyer, public administrator, City Leader in Residence at Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, and C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards juror. “It is inspiring to see so many cities making smart investments in climate action and we look forward to selecting the winners. The jury applauds C40 and Bloomberg Philanthropies for acknowledging climate leadership that will encourage decision-makers around the world to take actions to address the climate crisis.”
The awards celebrate cities’ pioneering projects, recognising leading mayors, providing an opportunity for further engagement with local communities, and encouraging friendly competition between cities keen to demonstrate their successful climate actions and raising global ambition. Seven prior editions of the awards programme have showcased some of the world’s most ambitious climate projects, celebrating leading cities and sharing highly replicable best practices.
2022 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards Finalists:
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (United to accelerate immediate action in critical sectors): Improving waste management in Addis Ababa through decentralised composting and recycling
Amsterdam, Netherlands (United to accelerate immediate action in critical sectors): Reducing Amsterdam’s gas consumption by 15% in 2022
New York City, USA (United to accelerate immediate action in critical sectors): New York City Housing Authority’s sustainability agenda
Seoul, South Korea (United to accelerate immediate action in critical sector): Seoul’s transformative electric vehicle programme
Beijing, China (United to clean the air we breathe): Phasing out coal in Beijing’s heating system
Lima, Peru (United to clean the air we breathe): “Aires Nuevos para la Infancia Lima” (Clean Air for the Children of Lima) program
Pune, India (United to clean the air we breathe): Rapid electric bus deployment in Pune
Quito, Ecuador (United to clean the air we breathe): Advancing air quality monitoring and community engagement in Quito
Dhaka North, Bangladesh (United to build resilience): Expansion of green spaces to create a greener, more inclusive and livable city in Dhaka North City Corporation
Lisbon, Portugal (United to build resilience): Safeguarding Lisbon’s drinking water to improve water security and circularity
Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara, Mexico (United to build resilience): “Nidos de Lluvia”: strengthening local water resilience in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara
Wuhan, China (United to build resilience): Wuhan’s 100 mile Yangtze River Ecological Corridor
Freetown, Sierra Leone (United to innovative): #FreetowntheTreetown: planting and digitally tracking Freetown’s trees
Quezon City, Philippines (United to innovative): Growing green: Quezon City’s food security programme
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (United to innovative): Reviving Rio de Janeiro’s city centre
São Paulo, Brazil (United to innovative): São Paulo’s Sustainable School Menu: reducing food insecurity via local production and climate-friendly options
Irvine, USA (United to build a climate movement): Engaging community leaders to cool Irvine
Renca, Chile (United to build a climate movement): Putting people at the centre of climate action in Renca
Seattle, USA (United to build a climate movement): Tackling inequity with Seattle’s Green New Deal
Tokyo, Japan / Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (United to build a climate movement): Global North and Global South collaboration in Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur to decarbonise the building sector
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Notes to Editors:
For more information on the awards and the projects of the finalist cities, please visit www.c40.org/awards-2022 or contact media@c40.org.
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About C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group:
C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities who are working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis and create a future where everyone, everywhere can thrive. Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to help the world limit global heating to 1.5°C and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. Through a Global Green New Deal, mayors are working alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labour, business, the youth climate movement and civil society to go further and faster than ever before.
The current Chair of C40 is Mayor of London Sadiq Khan; three-term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the Board. C40’s work is made possible by our three strategic funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and Realdania.
To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit our website and C40 Knowledge Hub or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About Bloomberg Philanthropies:
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 941 cities and 173 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2021, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.66 billion.
For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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Media Contact:
media@c40.org