Climate Mayors

With Climate Mayors Vice-Chair Mayor Kate Gallego winning her recent mayoral race, sustainability, diversifying the economy, and securing investments in infrastructure will continue to be a priority in the City of Phoenix. During her tenure, the city has reduced per capita greenhouse gas emissions by 20.5% since 2012 and created offices to respond to extreme heat and water challenges. Read more about how Mayor Gallego continues to prioritize climate smart policies:? https://lnkd.in/esDEky2E

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg knows that local governments are critical for advancing sustainable transportation projects. In Fast Company, he mentions Climate Mayors as one of the key groups offering leadership from the ground up to make these projects a reality: “It’s really the state, the city transit agencies, tribes, and others who are making it happen… I remember a few years ago when a number of cities came together on the Climate Mayors—not just U.S. cities, but cities around the world that were tired of waiting for their respective national capitals to catch up on sustainability.” Check out the full article here:? https://lnkd.in/ey_qetzu

A message to you from some of our leading governors.

In case you missed it, Our Chair Mayor Justin M. Bibb of Cleveland, OH was interviewed by Energy News Network last week to give insight into the role of cities in maintaining climate progress during? President-elect Trump's second term. Mayor Bibb underscores the urgency of defending the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to sustain our progress, stating, “We have to make the case on why these investments are important for America’s national security and economic competitiveness.” Climate Mayors is committed to protecting IRA-funded projects like Cleveland’s ambitious green steel production and solar projects. Read more: https://lnkd.in/esSU3zka

Live from COP29 in Baku: #ClimateMayor Tim Keller, representing Albuquerque, NM, is ensuring city issues are represented during these crucial global discussions. During a climate resilience panel with America Is All In he emphasized the need for strategic partnerships to secure our sustainable future. ??

Communities across the U.S. have been devastated by more than 160 disaster declarations since 2023. Today, 415 Mayors and councilmembers called on Congress to swiftly pass an emergency disaster relief bill to support communities impacted by these disasters. “Asheville is on a long road to recovery and our community needs federal funding now to not only deliver much-needed relief but to prepare for inevitable future disasters that are becoming more frequent and intense due to our changing climate,” said Mayor Esther Manheimer of Asheville, North Carolina about the importance of fully funding recovery efforts. “After the unprecedented disasters that struck Tampa Bay this year, back-to-back hurricanes, federal support is critical for a whole of government approach to disaster response. We need to ensure FEMA and our first responders have the funding ready when the next disaster strikes,” said Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa, Florida. The letter asks Congress to fully fund FEMA’s recovery efforts, replenish the Small Business Administration’s loan program to help businesses and homeowners, provide a flexible funding structure to allow cities to address the specific recovery needs of their communities, and more. Read the letter here: https://lnkd.in/eX9jwBCy?

Three years ago, The White House passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The largest investment in our nation’s infrastructure in a generation, we’ve seen unparalleled progress to America’s infrastructure across 66,000 projects. Read more about its progress: https://lnkd.in/eVDemXBp

This election season we congratulate our #ClimateMayors who have been re-elected for another term as they continue to accelerate their commitment to climate progress. These mayors have demonstrated their dedication to climate action in their cities which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, boosting resilience, and fostering more equitable communities.?Out of our nearly 350 member mayors, dozens were up for re-election and 41 won their respective races and will continue their impactful climate work – even amid the shifting political landscape at the federal level. Read more about the winners in our full statement ??

Earlier today, Climate Mayors gathered our network of mayors to discuss the future of climate action under a second Trump administration, and how to continue demonstrating climate action and progress in cities across the US. Climate Mayors Chair Mayor Justin M. Bibb of Cleveland, OH reminded mayors that, “we need to build coalitions across the aisle and with the private sector to stress that climate policy is good economic policy.” Our mayors were joined by Gina McCarthy, Managing Co-Chair of America Is All In, former White House national climate advisor, and EPA administrator, who emphasized that, “we need to help our communities adapt to changing climate by investing in resilience that saves your communities’ money and protects so many precious lives.” As mayors strategize for 2025, our Executive Director Kate Wright reminds members of their unique ability to meet this moment, “We are at a pivotal point. We're built for this, we've planned for this, we've been here before.”

How can cities maximize opportunities in the Inflation Reduction Act to accelerate local climate action? ??? Check out our latest piece with CDP & C40 Cities where we explain 5 ways that cross-sectoral collaboration between local government, businesses and communities can fully realize the potential of the IRA. ?? https://lnkd.in/e_T-ZcnG