Global Leaders Target Net Zero Cities And Nature-Positive Infrastructure

Over 40 ministers have partnered with the COP 28 Presidency to accelerate the transition to net zero and improve city climate resilience. These partnerships will focus on various sectors, such as buildings, waste and resource management systems, urban water resilience, and urban nature restoration.

These initiatives build on the launch of the Coalition for High Ambition Multi-level Partnerships for Climate Action (CHAMP), which aims to include cities and regions in the design of federal climate commitments and strategies.

"Dr. Al Jaber stated that achieving the Paris Agreement target of containing global temperature rise below 1.5°C requires the support and leadership of mayors and governors worldwide. Therefore, at COP28, they launched CHAMP to empower leaders and communities. Additionally, they are collaborating with organisations like UN-Habitat and Bloomberg Philanthropies to recognise and support the crucial roles that cities and their leaders can play in addressing climate change.

The second Urban Climate Ministerial was co-organised with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28. The meeting saw unprecedented participation by mayors and governors in the COP process. Brazil's Minister of Cities, Jader Barbalho Filho, closed the session by revealing Brazil's plans to increase participation and mobilisation for the Ministerial at COP30.

The COP28 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies collaborated to organise the Local Climate Action Summit (LCAS) on December 1 and 2. Over 500 subnational leaders joined the summit portion of a COP for the first time. Nearly $500 million of new city-focused climate investment was also announced during the summit. The outcomes of the event include:

The Buildings Breakthrough

The Buildings Breakthrough initiative, which has the support of 27 countries and is led by France and Morocco, aims to make "near-zero and resilient buildings" the new standard by 2030. This partnership acknowledges that the construction industry is responsible for nearly 40% of global CO2 emissions, half of all extracted materials, and one-third of worldwide waste.

The Cement Breakthrough  

Canada and the UAE have launched the Cement and Concrete Breakthrough initiative, endorsed by countries like the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, and Germany. The goal of this initiative is to establish the production of clean cement as the preferred choice in global markets. The aim is to achieve near-zero-emission cement production in every region of the world by 2030.

The Waste to Zero initiative

Waste to Zero is a coalition comprising governments, NGOs, and the private sector. This objective of this initiative is to reduce carbon emissions from the waste management sector and promote the transformation of waste into valuable resources. Waste to Zero is an official program under the UAE's 'Year of Sustainability'.

The Waste MAP

The Waste MAP is an innovative global platform that utilises satellite monitoring to track and measure methane emissions from waste. It has been developed by the Global Methane Hub, Google Foundation, Rocky Mountain Institute, Clean Air Taskforce (CATF), the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON)/GHGSat, and Carbon Mapper.

The platform enables local governments and NGOs to identify and mitigate methane emissions before they become harmful. It will initially be launched in 20 megacities worldwide, which collectively house over 100 million people, to help minimise the adverse impact of waste on our environment.

Two new programmes to accelerate the adoption of 15-minute city (15MC)/proximity planning policies and measure their impact. Nearly 100 mayors from the world's foremost cities form the C40.

It is committed to promoting the adoption of the 15-minute city (15MC). This concept involves creating highly liveable, walkable, and people-oriented towns accessible within 15 minutes by foot or bicycle.

To turn this idea into reality, C40 has collaborated with Urban Partners to create the Green and Thriving Neighbourhoods programme. This programme provides comprehensive support to over 40 cities by helping them implement pilot projects that align with the 15MC concept. Additionally, C40 has partnered with Novo Nordisk to launch the Healthy Neighbourhoods Explorer tool.

This tool enables policymakers to measure the impacts of 15MCs on emissions reduction and residents' health, thus allowing cities to make informed policy decisions.

The Generation Restoration project

The Generation Restoration Project (2023-2025) supports pilot projects in eight cities worldwide to restore urban ecosystems and reduce emissions. These cities are Douala in Cameroon, Dakar-Plateau and Thies in Senegal, Quezon City in the Philippines, Kochi in India, Sirajganj in Bangladesh, Samborondon in Ecuador, Mexico City in Mexico, and Manaus in Brazil.

Commitments to fossil fuel-free land transport

Transportation systems are crucial for people's daily lives and livelihoods. However, they are responsible for around 22% of global carbon emissions. For this reason, the COP28 Presidency, the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the International Transport Forum, and the International Energy Agency have organised the first transport-energy ministerial at a COP.

In collaboration with important partners, including the SLOCAT Partnership, the Air Transport Action Group, and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions team, the COP28 Presidency has highlighted key solutions to decarbonise the transport sector.

The sustainable land transport community, primarily led by the SLOCAT Partnership, has announced the first-ever World Sustainable Transport Day on November 26, 2023. They have also issued a call to action to double the share of energy-efficient and fossil-free forms of land transport by 2030. SLOCAT and REN21 have jointly initiated this initiative with IDDRI, ITDP, UIC, UITP, and WRI. It has been endorsed by Chile and Colombia, along with 60 multi-stakeholder organisations.

'A Playbook for Nature-Positive Infrastructure Development'

'A Playbook for Nature-Positive Infrastructure Development', which involves the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), spotlights the construction sector's role in conserving and restoring natural ecosystems. The playbook draws from some of the world's most important infrastructure projects to offer practitioners a wide range of nature-based solutions that put nature at the heart of infrastructure design.

Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership's (FCLP) Greening Construction with Sustainable Wood initiative

The Buildings Breakthrough, Cement Breakthrough, and FCLP's Greening Construction with Sustainable Wood initiative aim to foster collaboration among different levels of government in response to the Global Stocktake. These initiatives provide national governments and stakeholders with a framework to swiftly transform the building sector towards significant mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.