26 JUNE 2015
C40 Chair Mayor Paes Extends Tenure Through 2016 Rio de Janeiro Mayor Paes recognized for C40 leadership and accomplishments
Today, the C40 Ci es Climate Leadership Group (C40) announced that C40 Chair, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes will extend his C40 term by one year, following a unanimous vote by the msco [email protected] C40 Steering Commi ee represen ng the global membership. Mayor Paes, whose tenure began in 2014, will serve as C40 Chair through the end of his mayoral term in December 2016. The Steering Commi ee cited in their decision Mayor Paes’ leadership in expanding C40 #yci es membership to more than 75 ci es, with an emphasis on ci es in China and the global south; #c40yci es his push for city diplomacy and the global Compact of Mayors; his focus on climate finance; and his success advancing the long-term sustainability in Rio.
“I am deeply honoured by this opportunity to be C40 Chair for an addi onal year, and I look forward to con nuing my work with interna onal mayors, businesses, NGOs and the C40 team,” said C40 Chair, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. “It has been a great privilege to help lead the global conversa on on ci es and climate change and create the ci es of the future. I have always believed that to be liveable, ci es must be four things: environmentally friendly, adept at dealing with mobility and integra on, socially integrated, and technologically advanced. I am proud that C40 is helping ci es around the world take tangible ac on in this cri cal direc on.”
As C40 Chair, Mayor Paes has led by example, strengthening diploma c engagement and city diplomacy. Rio is on its way to achieving compliance with the global Compact of Mayors. It is also one of the first C40 ci es to establish a local GHG emission inventory using the Global Protocol for Community- Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC), the interna onal “gold” standard for GHG emission repor ng. It is the first Brazilian city to complete a study on climate vulnerabili es (of the metropolitan region). Rio de Janeiro is using the upcoming 2016 Olympic Games to implement projects that are enhancing Rio’s sustainability and the goal to reduce local GHG emission, such as the implementa on of BRTs, which are dedicated corridors for ar culated buses, thus amplifying the offer of mass transport.
In 2011, Rio passed its Municipal Policy on Climate Change and Sustainable Development, which mandated regular updates to GHG emission inventories and sets an emission reduc on target of 20% (2.3 million metric tons of emission reduc ons) by 2020. The city has a Climate Ac on Plan and is part of the Rockefeller 100 Resilient Ci es ini a ve, in January launching Rio Resilient, a comprehensive resilience strategy of the city.
"Under the leadership of Mayor Paes, C40 has con nued to strengthen its reputa on as a results-driven and truly global network of ci es working together to tackle climate change and increase urban resilience,” said Mayor Mauricio Macri of Buenos Aires. “I was proud to stand beside him at the first-ever C40 La n American Mayors Forum in Buenos Aires, and I look forward to working closely with him as we mayors strive to create a more sustainable future for urban ci zens everywhere."
“Mayor Paes understands that the African con nent is acutely vulnerable to the ravages of climate change due to mul ple stressors and low adap ve capacity. He par cularly understands many of the challenges faced by metropolitan ci es on the con nent – like the city of Johannesburg in South Africa – and the demand for our ci es to develop in a way that is sustainable, economically viable and socially beneficial,” said Mayor Parks Tau of Johannesburg. “It has been a pleasure collabora ng with Mayor Paes to find collec ve solu ons and share best prac ce. I am confident that he will lead C40 and our ci es through these challenging and cri cal mes we face today, and will con nue to ensure that ci es remain on the global climate change agenda.”
Under Mayor Paes’ tenure, C40 has expanded its membership and provided C40 City Advisers to eight global ci es; strengthened the role of ci es in interna onal climate conversa ons; joined partners in launching and advancing the global Compact of Mayors; and executed the first ever C40 regional forum, the C40 La n American Mayors Summit in Buenos Aires. Under an extended term, Mayor Paes will not only help lead C40 and city efforts at the COP21 climate nego a ons in Paris at the end of 2015, but also oversee the next C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City in 2016.
About the C40 Ci es Climate Leadership Group The C40 Ci es Climate Leadership Group, now in its 10th year, connects more than 75 of the world’s greatest ci es, represen ng 550+ million people and one quarter of the global economy. Created and led by ci es, C40 is focused on tackling climate change and driving urban ac on that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportuni es of urban ci zens. The current chair of the C40 is Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes; three-term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the Board. To learn more about the work of C40 and our ci es, please visit www.c40.org, follow us on Twi er @c40ci es and like us on Facebook at h p:// www.facebook.com/C40Ci es.
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