RELEASE: C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and World Resources Institute Partner to Promote City Transit Solutions

The World Resources Institute, led by its sustainable transport center, EMBARQ, and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) established a partnership today that will further their mutual goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from urban transportation. The partnership focuses on scaling up solutions and enhancing C40 cities transport efforts related to sustainable urban planning, bus rapid transit systems, and non-motorized transit initiatives.

Together, these organizations will tackle a transport sector that accounts for roughly 13 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

“This new partnership with EMBARQ and its global network of transportation expertise will accelerate the work cities are doing to implement more efficient and effective transit systems,” said C40 Chair and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “By combining the forces of two organizations that know how to get things done we will help provide greater transit options that will help us build a more sustainable planet.”

For over ten years, EMBARQ has catalyzed and implemented sustainable transport solutions to improve the quality of life in cities in terms of pollution, public health, and safety. Similarly, C40 works to implement innovative, replicable transit solutions that reduce GHG emissions at the city level.

“Mayor Bloomberg and the leaders of other C40 cities are committed to shifting to a low-carbon future – and this partnership will help them to get there,” said Andrew Steer, President, World Resources Institute. “The world’s middle class is booming and people are more mobile than ever before. We need smart, people-focused transportation solutions that will help create better cities and a more sustainable world.”

C40 and the World Resources Institute cemented a long-standing relationship through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that will encourage the two entities to collaborate on the following:

• Supporting climate mitigation and adaptation measures through sustainable and equitable transportation policies in C40 cities;
• Leveraging C40 networks, or working groups of peer C40 cities (e.g. Sustainable Urban Development Network and Bus Rapid Transit Network), to develop and share integrated transit and urban development planning in and among C40 cities; and
• Collaborating to support and promote low-carbon urban development in C40 cities, with particular attention paid to bus rapid transit and non-motorized transport.

EMBARQ is already actively working in the following C40 Cities: Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo (Brazil); Mexico City (Mexico); Lima (Peru); Istanbul (Turkey); Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore (India).

“By combining our vast networks and deep technical capacity, C40 and EMBARQ are positioned to make a significant contribution to reducing city-level emissions and creating better transport systems,” said Holger Dalkmann, director, EMBARQ. “Mayor Bloomberg is a proven leader by transforming New York City and raising the ambition of mayors around the world. Now, we need to more cities to follow C40’s lead by scaling up transportation and low-carbon solutions that create a healthier and safer world.”

The two organizations have collaborated in the past. C40 is currently working with EMBARQ’s parent organization, WRI, to establish a single standard for measuring city emissions – the Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Additionally, Mayor Bloomberg’s philanthropic foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, also collaborates with and provides support for EMBARQ’s international activities to improve road safety.

Media Contacts:

World Resources Institute: Michael Oko, moko@wri.org; (202) 246-9269
C40: Mike Marinello, mmarinello@c40.com

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About C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40)
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) is a network of large and engaged cities from around the world committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate related actions locally that will help address climate change globally. C40 was established in 2005 and expanded via a partnership in 2006 with President William J. Clinton’s Climate Initiative (CCI). The current chair of the C40 is New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. To learn more about the work of C40 and our Cities, please visit www.c40.org, follow us on Twitter @c40cities and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/C40Cities.

About EMBARQ—WRI’s Center for Sustainable Transport (EMBARQ)
EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute’s center for sustainable transport, catalyzes and helps implement sustainable transport solutions to improve quality of life in cities. Since 2002, the EMBARQ network has expanded to Mexico, Brazil, China, India, Turkey and the Andean Region, collaborating with local and national authorities, business and civil society to reduce pollution, improve public health, and create safe, accessible and attractive urban public spaces. http://www.embarq.org