C40 and ICLEI to Establish Global Standard for Cities’ GHG Emissions
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) and ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability, announced at the C40 Cities Mayors Summit in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that the two organizations will establish a global standard for accounting and reporting community-scale greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that can be used across multiple platforms. This common approach will help local governments to accelerate their emission reduction activities whilst meeting the needs of climate financing, national monitoring and reporting requirements. The standard will be released in time for UNFCCC COP 17 in November in Durban, South Africa.
The standard, once developed, will result in consistent, robust, and comparable city inventories. It will also allow for accurate monitoring of progress against emissions targets, facilitate robust climate action planning, and provide standard guidance as local governments pursue environmental review, inventory certification and other relevant policy making processes in their day-to-day operations.
The World Bank Group – in partnership with UN-HABITAT, UNEP, OECD – supports the establishment of this international standard.
“Cities of all sizes play an important role in combating the impact of climate change. Establishing a single global standard for reporting greenhouse gas emissions will empower local governments to accelerate their actions and access funding for mitigation and adaptation projects,” said C40 Chair New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “This will enable new efficiencies and create a level playing field for comparing emissions across cities around the world.”