#Lagos Governor Akinwunmi Ambode leads 8 African Megacities Committing to Deliver their Share of the Paris Agreement at the launch of the C40 Climate Action Planning Africa Programme

Lagos, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Johannesburg & Tshwane today revealed their commitment to bold climate action and pledged to deliver on their share of the Paris Agreement. The commitments were made today in Lagos, at the launch of the C40 Climate Action Planning Africa Programme.

C40’s Climate Action Planning Africa Programme will provide direct support to the 9 African cities in developing unprecedented, robust and evidence-based long-term climate action plans that align with the ambitious objectives of the Paris Agreement. The support will include a dedicated city advisor based in each city, a series of workshops, and access to expert technical advice as needed. Nairobi and Abidjan have also joined the programme and are anticipated to submit their climate action commitments soon.

The launch event was attended by the Governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode; Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah; senior city representatives of the participating cities and Mark Watts, Executive Director, C40 Cities.

The C40 Climate Action Planning Africa Programme is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag.

“Cities in Africa are the fastest growing anywhere in the world,” said Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris & Chair of C40. “The commitment of these nine mayors to bold climate leadership will deliver a sustainable future for these dynamic, and outward looking cities. It once again proves that cities are getting the job done and concretely delivering on the Paris Agreement to secure a bright future for all our citizens.”

More when you continue..

"The realities of climate change and its effects on our collective survival and ability to thrive, are being realized by all. Our citizens are becoming more aware of these impacts,” said Hon M. Adjei Sowah, Mayor of Accra. “We cannot ignore the implications of what will befall us if we do not act now. A business as usual approach to our quest for socio-economic development will not aid in addressing the threat of climate change. Part of the actions we need, is the creation of a vision that embodies our passion to plan and implement initiatives that mitigate the negative effects or aids us to be able to adapt to the impacts. Lagos has given us the opportunity to come together as African Cities leading the way to interpret the Paris Agreement for the understanding of every man, woman and child in our local communities. There is more beyond this meeting; and those are the things we must prepare to address."

C40 Cities today also launched the C40 Climate Action Planning Framework and online Resource Centre, which have been designed to support city climate planners deliver ambitious climate action. Both can be accessed at resourcecentre.c40.org.

C40 Climate Action Planning Resource Centre.  This new website brings together a wide range resources – including video tutorials, podcasts, guidance documents, research reports and tools – for city climate planners to use as they develop ambitious, integrated and inclusive climate action plans which reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the impacts of climate change, and deliver wider social, environmental and economic benefits.  The C40 Climate Action Planning Resource Centre is publicly available for cities to use.

C40 Climate Action Planning Framework. Developed in consultation with cities participating in the Deadline 2020 pilot programme – Boston, Durban, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mexico City, New York City and Paris – the Framework outlines the essential components of a climate action plan that is deemed to be compatible with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The framework is designed for flexibility, recognising the diversity of cities and their individual contexts.

To date, mayors of more than 40 C40 cities have publicly committed to develop and begin implementing ambitious climate action plans by 2020 that go beyond national commitments, in order to achieve the highest objectives of the Paris Agreement at the local level, demonstrating that the future is being shaped in the world’s megacities.

Cities will develop Climate Action Plans that deliver on the objectives of the Paris Agreement, with support from C40 and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

 C40 launches new tools and resources to help all cities globally create ambitious, integrated and equitable climate action plans.

Around the world, C40 Cities connects 96 of the world’s greatest cities to take bold climate action, leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future. Representing 700+ million citizens and one quarter of the global economy, mayors of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level, as well as to cleaning the air we breathe. The current chair of C40 is Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo; and 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.