What happened at Climate Week NYC

C40's highlights from the 2024 Climate Week in New York City

Mayors and subnational leaders urge Heads of State to end fossil fuel subsidies

As world leaders descended on New York City (NYC) for Climate Week, C40 mayors, regional and subnational leaders, and key partners addressed Heads of State, urging greater action on fossil fuels.

C40's message was loud and clear on the streets of NYC, with digital billboards in key locations ensuring Climate Week delegates heard our call on world leaders to end fossil fuel subsidies.

In the letter signed by the Mayors of Freetown, Barcelona, Boston, Heidelberg, Milan, Montréal, New Orleans, and Paris, they wrote:

"Make no mistake, the climate crisis is a fossil fuel crisis. At a time when we need faster, fairer action, G20 nations continue to pour billions into fossil fuel subsidies. It's time to stop propping up these polluting industries and use these funds to scale up local and equitable climate action instead."

In an address to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, called on G20 countries to shift money from fossil fuel subsidies and investments to a just energy transition.

Global and city leaders renew support forgather for CHAMP dialogue

On the sidelines of events in Climate Week NYC and the UN General Assembly, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the COP28 Presidency, and the World Resources Institute (WRI) gathered leaders for a Coalition for High Ambition Multi-level Partnerships (CHAMP) High-Level Political Dialogue.

Key announcements included Bloomberg Philanthropies' support for an Urban Climate Ministerial at COP29, building upon the success of the Local Climate Action Summit of COP28. The WRI launched an analysis supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, highlighting the grave threats we will all face if global heating rises to 3°C compared with a 1.5°C scenario.

C40 also welcomed the UK government's announcement that it is joining CHAMP. C40 Co-Chair and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, commented: "Delighted to see the UK government committing to CHAMP - a crucial step forward in our fight against the climate crisis. Greater collaboration with national leaders will strengthen the bold climate action we urgently need to see."

C40 Co-Chair and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaking at NYC Climate Week 2024. © Greater London Authority

C40 and Rockefeller Foundation partner to address climate-related health risks

C40 Cities and The Rockefeller Foundation announced a partnership to address the health impacts of climate breakdown in cities. The Rockefeller Foundation has pledged US$1 million to support urban-level action, including heat-health pilot programmes in C40 cities. These pilots aim to help cities better respond to health emergencies caused by extreme heat, particularly among vulnerable populations.

As reported in TIME, a new report by The Rockefeller Foundation highlights the urgent need for coordinated climate-health efforts in urban areas, with a three-step plan to improve forecasting, prevention, and resource allocation to protect public health in cities worldwide.

Bogotá joins Breathe Cities

With Climate Week in full swing, Bogotá announced it was joining the Breathe Cities initiative to combat air pollution and improve public health for its 7.9 million residents. The partnership will help the city leverage global expertise and data to reduce emissions and enhance air quality.

By 2030, the initiative aims to cut air pollution by 30%, potentially saving 840 lives annually in Bogotá. This reduction could save US$1.7 billion in annual costs from avoided deaths and disabilities, prevent new asthma cases, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Breathe Cities was launched in 2023 as a partnership between Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Clean Air Fund, and C40 Cities to save lives, improve health, and reduce air pollution. The Mayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán Pachón, met with key leaders from Breathe Cities, C40, the Clean Air Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies to mark the occasion.

© Kristen Blush - C40 Cities

C40 research reveals millions of climate migrants could be displaced into cities

New research by C40 Cities and the Mayors Migration Council (MMC) launched just ahead of Climate Week set out the scale and impact of climate migration into cities-including Bogotá, Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Amman, Karachi, Dhaka, Accra and Freetown-over the next quarter of a century. If the world fails to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of limiting global heating to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, up to 8 million people could migrate into those cities by 2050 due to the climate crisis. This would intensify current migration trends toward urban areas.

C40 Cities Co-Chair, MMC Leadership Board Member, and Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE, said: "[There is an] urgent need to address climate migration, especially in the Global South. Yet, only 8% of the US$5 trillion required annually for urban climate action is available. It shouldn't just be cities in the Global South leading the charge-global cooperation is essential."

C40 Co-Chair and Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, speaking at NYC Climate Week 2024. © Kristen Blush - C40 Cities

C40 Cities Executive Director, Mark Watts, reflected on this critical topic in an op-ed for Context News.

C40, The Climate Pledge and development banks propel electric freight in Latin America

C40 and The Climate Pledge announced a new partnership with financial institutions such as the International Finance Corporation and the Development Bank of Latin America, to create credit lines for the e-freight sector, helping fund some of the first deals in this space.

The announcement was made at a joint event during Climate Week as part of the Laneshift initiative by C40 and The Climate Pledge to cut freight transport carbon emissions by transforming the use of zero-emission vehicles.

C40 Cities and Climate Pledge MoU signing at NYC Climate Week 2024. © Kristen Blush - C40 Cities

C40 Co-Chair Mayor Khan, Matt Damon & Gary White of Water.org put water safety and security on global climate agenda

At The Climate Pledge Summit, C40 Co-Chair and London Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, joined actor Matt Damon and fellow Water.orgco-founder Gary White to discuss tackling water security amid the climate crisis. They emphasised the need for collaboration to address worsening floods and droughts. C40 data predicts severe water shortages and flood risks by 2050, impacting millions and causing billions in economic losses.

C40 is helping cities like Durban, Rio de Janeiro, and Dhaka build water resilience. Mayor Khan said: "More than half of the world's population live in urban areas which are facing more frequent climate-induced water issues, including drought, flooding, sea-level rise, storms and water pollution.

"We must adapt our cities to allow them to continue to be thriving places for communities across the globe. That is why, under my leadership, C40 has chosen to allocate two-thirds of its budget to cities in the Global South, which have done the least to create this crisis, but are bearing the brunt of it."

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.