More than 500 cities reported their strategies to address climate change to CDP this year, representing a 70 percent increase from 2015, the nonprofit announced Thursday. “Increasing awareness of climate risks means more cities are undertaking a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, a basic first step for any organization seeking to understand its climate impact. In 2011, one in ten cities reported undertaking a citywide emissions inventory, now four in ten cities report doing so,” according to a CDP press release.
CDP, formerly the Climate Disclosure Project, collects self-reported climate change data from investors, companies, and cities.
“When cities measure their climate footprint and seek a sustainable path to green growth powered by clean energy, they take us all further towards the global transition to low emissions and resilient development,” Patricia Espinosa, the new executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, said in the release.
CDP breaks down its data in regions, reporting in 2015 a 72 percent increase in the number of North American cities reporting climate action, an 83 percent increase in Europe, 66 percent in Latin America, and 33 percent in the Asia-Pacific region.
