Coalition of Mayors Makes “Green” Commitments

On Monday the mayors of 12 cities in Africa, Europe, New Zealand, North America and South America signed the C40 Fossil Free-Free Streets agreement, which calls for all purchases of city buses to be zero-emission vehicles by 2025.

The signatories also pledge to develop a “major area” of their cities into zero-emission zones by 2030. The overall intent is “a future where walking, cycling, and shared transport are how the majority of citizens move around” in cities.

To help achieve the goal, the mayors plan to collaborate with suppliers, fleet operators and local businesses to accelerate the shift to zero-emission vehicles and reduce vehicle miles in cities. Cities will report on their progress every two years.

The initial 12 cities are Auckland, Barcelona, Cape Town, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, Milan, Mexico City, Paris, Seattle, Quito (Ecuador) and Vancouver.

The mayors signed the agreement at the closing of this weekend’s Together4Climate meeting in Paris. The meeting, which also included representatives from companies such as Mastercard, Siemens and Volvo Bus, focused discussions on policies for mobility, energy and urban planning.