The C40 Cities 2023 Annual Report highlights the urgent need for global cities to address climate change as temperatures exceeded 1.5°C for the first time. It emphasizes the commitment of C40 member cities to phase out fossil fuels and implement science-based climate action. Key initiatives include the launch of Breathe Cities for air quality improvement and the City Youth Engagement Network to empower youth activism, all aimed at achieving significant emissions reductions by 2030.
2023
Forewords In 2023 global heating exceeded 1.5°C across an entire year for the first time in human history. The world’s cities and their residents - from Seoul to Sao Paulo and New York City to Nairobi - were hit by the worsening effects of extreme climate impacts and polluted air, while global investments in fossil fuels continued to rise. Last year also saw science-based policymaking come under increasing attack from disinformation campaigns and well-funded lobbying groups. Throughout this, C40 member cities have continued to step up to lead, delivering science-based climate action and using their voices to influence multilateral platforms and partners. Early in 2023 we announced that we had consolidated our work around two main missions - set by the mayors on our Steering Committee - to help get the world off fossil fuels and address the impacts and injustices of climate breakdown. June saw the launch of Breathe Cities, which provides resources for global cities to improve air quality and tackle climate change at the same time, building on London’s success in
From the Executive Director of C40
At long last, the end of the fossil fuel era is in sight, following the crucial - if long overdue - agreement at COP28 to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels. Following the year that shattered temperature records from Tokyo to Rio de Janeiro, we simply do not have time to wait for incremental progress: it is the actions of the climate doers that count now. In September, the UN released its first global stocktake assessing countries’ progress since the Paris Agreement, which found that the world is well off track in meeting its target of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5˚C. The science is clear that a rapid, managed and just phase out of fossil fuels is needed to protect everyone from the escalating crisis. C40 made the early decision to focus our advocacy at COP28 on the rapid phase out of fossil fuels and a just transition to a clean economy, in line with our core missions. pioneering this initiative. C40 also announced the launch of the City Youth Engagement Network - bringing together city officials - and the Youth Hub, providing opportunities for youth activists to engage with others across the world. C40’s mayors are leading by demonstrating what a just transition away from fossil fuels looks like in practice, and we were delighted that at COP 28 over 70 countries committed to working with local leaders on the Nationally Determined Contributions that are due in 2025. This will help catalyse faster, stronger, fairer national climate action. As C40’s current business plan comes to an end in 2024, we know we have more to get done. At a global scale we are still far from where we need to be. Trillions are still being invested in fossil fuels even as temperatures rise, streets flood and cities overheat. But our collective achievements have laid the groundwork for our work over the next five years to meet our targets and help to avert the worst of climate breakdown by halving emissions by 2030. Mayors continue to build resilience in their cities and cut fossil fuel use, showing what is possible with political will and science-based policy. With global mayors leading, the drive to phase out fossil fuels and enable climate justice will continue to gather pace.