The stakes to address climate change have never been higher. The wellbeing of the planet, its ecosystems and people hang in the balance and their fate will be determined by the climate targets, policies and action taken this decade. All actors, including cities, need to do their part to ensure that the 1.5° target laid out in the Paris Agreement is met.

The Cities Race to Zero is a global campaign that aims to rally cities from around the world to commit to near term climate action to ensure we maintain on a 1.5° trajectory of global warming. It is a bold, ambitious global movement of cities who are committed to putting the goals of the Paris Agreement into action.

Led by the UN High-Level Climate Champions for Climate Action, Nigel Topping and Gonzalo Muñoz, the campaign aims to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions and investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth ahead of COP26 in November 2021.

On August 25th, Sustainable Cities Network hosted a presentation on the Arizona Cities Race to Zero to educate local cities across Arizona on how they can join the race and take advantage of the available resources. Click to watch the video below.

Cities in the US have carried the torch on climate before, and we’ve shown that collectively, setting clear, ambitious targets and implementing policies to achieve them is critical to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. In a local context, committing your city to the Cities Race to Zero can provide you with the tools and resources to create a more healthy, sustainable and equitable environment for your citizens.

“We are seeing a shift towards decarbonizing the economy across all sectors,” said Laura Jay, C40 Regional Director for North America. “Joining the Cities Race to Zero not only provides a global platform to highlight the work of your city but it also sets your city up for success for this transition.”

Joining the Race is simple. Visit citiesracetozero.org and click to join.

Cities Race to Zero is a collaboration between all the global city networks (C40, ICLEI, Global Covenant of Mayors, UCLG, WRI and WWF) with the goal of streamlining a global commitment and ensuring this commitment is about aligning cities around what science requires, providing support through all the networks working together and not able creating additional reporting burdens.

 

Written by Laura Jay, C40 Regional Director for North America and Kate Hartland, SCN Program Assistant

 

The ASU Sustainable Cities Network (SCN) is an innovative education and outreach program within the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Future Laboratory, created to work with communities to strengthen sustainability in the region and across Arizona. Comprised of Arizona city, town, county and tribal community practitioners and leaders, SCN is a vehicle for sharing knowledge, identifying best practices, coordinating planning and actions, and fostering long-term partnerships. Created as a bridge between ASU research and local sustainability challenges, SCN participants and partners work together to streamline and green city operation and advance local and regional sustainability and resilience measures.