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World’s Best Climate Projects Recognised at 2022 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards

  • The awards recognise city leadership in urban climate action
  • Winners include 10 city projects paving the way toward a greener future 
  • Winners were announced at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires

New York, NY and Buenos Aires, Argentina — Today, C40 and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the 10 winners of the 2022 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Representing the most ambitious and impactful projects spearheaded by mayors from around the world to tackle the global climate crisis, awards were given out in five categories that align with this year’s summit theme, United in Action:

  1. United to accelerate immediate action in critical sectors
  2. United to clean the air we breathe
  3. United in building climate resilience
  4. United to innovate
  5. United in building a climate movement

Seventy cities competed for this year’s prestigious awards. The awards celebrate pioneering climate projects led by cities around the world, recognising mayors and encouraging friendly competition between cities keen to demonstrate their successful climate actions and raise global ambition. Seven prior editions of the awards programme have showcased some of the world’s most ambitious climate projects and amplified highly replicable best practices. Previous winners of the award include London who were awarded for the pioneering 24 hour Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Sadiq Khan, Chair of C40 Cities and Mayor of London, said: “Congratulations to all of the C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards winners. Cities are leading the way when it comes to tackling the climate emergency. These cities represent some of the best projects from around the world and their commitment to local communities and the planet is impressive. The focus on immediate climate action illustrates the power of cities to be doers, not delayers, setting a new level of ambition that I hope will inspire leaders around the world to invest in a greener future.”

Michael R. Bloomberg, C40 Board President, UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, 108th Mayor of New York City and Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, said: “Across the world, mayors and cities are increasingly uniting to share strategies, set ambitious goals and deliver much-needed results in the fight against climate change. The C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards showcase the best of local climate leadership, demonstrating to national governments and the world what’s possible ahead of COP27.”

C40 Executive Director Mark Watts said: “I am thrilled to congratulate the winners of the C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards. The winning projects are excellent examples of cities making a strong impact on their communities. A healthier, cleaner future must be every mayor’s priority. When mayors invest in the green recovery, they create jobs and just, thriving communities for all. This year’s winners are climate leaders and we are proud to highlight their hard work at the C40 World Mayors Summit.”

Supriya Sahu, Principal Secretary for the Department of Environment, Climate Change & Forests in the government of Tamil Nadu, India, and one of eight awards jurors, said: “On behalf of the jury, I am thrilled to congratulate this year’s C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards winners on their impressive climate projects and leadership. Selecting the winners was a challenging task due to the outstanding quality and variety of applications. The jury welcomes the outstanding leadership and innovation demonstrated by cities in the Global §South. The winning projects should inspire leaders around the world who are eager to slash emissions, build resilience and make a lasting difference in their communities.”

2022 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards Winners:

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

Beijing, China (United to clean the air we breathe): Phasing out coal in Beijing’s heating system

Pune, India (United to clean the air we breathe): Rapid electric bus deployment in Pune

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

Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara, Mexico (United to build resilience): “Nidos de Lluvia”: strengthening local water resilience in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara

Freetown, Sierra Leone (United to innovative): #FreetowntheTreetown: planting and digitally tracking Freetown’s trees

São Paulo, Brazil (United to innovative): São Paulo’s Sustainable School Menu: reducing food insecurity via local production and climate-friendly options

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

Note to Editors:
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. An esteemed jury selected this year’s winners: 10 projects involving eleven cities on five continents.

For more information on the awards, award jurors and the projects of the winning cities, please visit www.c40.org/awards-2022 or contact media@c40.org.

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 TwitterInstagramFacebook 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.

Media Contacts:
C40 Cities, media@c40.org
Marshall Cohen, Bloomberg Philanthropies, mcohen@bloomberg.org

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