C40 Climate Leadership Group

The C40 Climate Leadership Group (C40) is an alliance of the world's largest cities committed to tackling climate change. Cities have a central role to play in tackling climate change, particularly as cities bear a disproportional responsibility for causing it. In fact, cities consume 75 per cent of the world's energy and produce 80 per cent of its greenhouse gas emissions. That is why it is so important for cities to work together, set the agenda and show leadership on this issue.

In August 2006 former President Clinton and the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone announced a partnership between the Clinton Climate Initiative and the C40. This new partnership pledged to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in large cities across the world.

In May 2007 in New York the C40 held its second Summit, bringing together the global network of cities to discuss climate change issues and exchange best practice in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At this summit it was announced that the city of Seoul would host the next C40 summit in May 2009. It was also agreed that before the next summit, specific workshops and conferences would be arranged on key issues. The City of London would host a workshop on transport and congestion (3-5 December 2007). Los Angeles would host a workshop on tackling carbon from ground based airport emissions (April 2008), and the city of Rotterdam would host a conference on world ports and climate change.(date tbc)