Berlin was a founding member of C20, as the network was then known, in 2006. As such, it has been part of this effort from the very beginning. Berlin’s decision to join was influenced especially by the commitment of its partner city London. Because more and more cities are opting for a local approach to deal with climate change, the network has since renamed itself C40; more than 80 cities from every continent are currently members. The Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment coordinates Berlin’s operational work in this network. More information on the network is available online at c40.org.
Mayors of large cities have joined forces in C40. Among other things, they are calling on national governments to translate the climate agreements into action. When the Paris agreement on climate protection went into effect on 4 November 2016, C40 issued this statement:
“The Paris Agreement represents a turning point in our collective history. The moment when we chose a different path to secure our planet for future generations. And we know that it is in our cities that this new path is being forged.”
You can read the entire declaration on the network’s blog pages. More information on the climate agreement itself is available on the website of the Federal Ministry for the Environment (in German) Link.
In June 2017, the network joined the Internet platform change.org in making another appeal: more than 50 member cities are calling on the heads of state and government to uphold the Paris Agreement. They argue that showing support for the accord is more important than ever, now that the U.S. government has announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. You can read the appeal on the change.org website.
In the January 2018 issue of the French government’s “Les Annales des Mines,” the former Governing Mayor Müller describes Berlin’s energy and climate protection program, which is aimed at making Berlin a climate-neutral city over the next few decades. The article was published in French; to see an English summary, please click here.
Greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced worldwide starting in 2020 if we are to have any chance of reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement. In September 2018, C40 announced that Berlin is one of 27 cities in the network whose emissions have already peaked and are now declining over previous levels. You can find out more about the C40 call for action on the network’s Youtube channel and its website (both in English).
The former Governing Mayor of Berlin traveled to Barcelona in November 2018 for the 8th Smart City Expo World Congress. In additions to meetings with the Mayor of Barcelona, he also spoke to the Mayor of Milan. On 14 November 2018, he took part in the C40 Talks session. You can read the press release on the Governing Mayor’s trip here.