Five UK cities leading the world on climate action

London, Manchester, Leicester, Bournemouth and Coventry have been ranked among 105 of the world's leading cities for climate action and transparency by CDP.

CDP's ranking considers key environmental data like emissions reductions and adaptation plans, scoring cities an 'A' to 'D' based on the level of action taken and quality of their data.

A city must have a complete emissions inventory to score an A, along with a set emissions reduction target, a published climate action strategy, and an adaption plan.

Cities scoring an A in the ranking are taking over three times as many climate actions on average as those that are not, and five times as many to cut emissions and future warming.

“These 105 cities are setting an example for the level of transparency and action we need from cities worldwide,“ said Kyra Appleby, CDP's global director of cities, states and regions.

“Climate science leaves no doubt that global emissions must be halved by 2030. Cities play a crucial role in meeting this challenge, covering just 2% of the earth's surface, they are the source of 70% of emissions.“

Designed to push cities to ramp up their climate action and ambition, the ranking is based on data reported by over 850 cities through the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System in 2019.

The eThekwini municipality in South Africa scored an A after it set a target for 40% of its electricity consumption to be met by renewables by 2030. It is also set to enact a by-law ensuring all new buildings be net zero by 2030.

Greater Manchester scored highly after it set a target to become carbon neutral by 2038 – 12 years ahead of the UK government – which demands annual emission cuts of 15%.

Petaling Jaya in Malaysia introduced tax rebates for residents that make sustainable lifestyle choices and undertake low-carbon building retrofits in 2011, and was also ranked on the A list.

Meanwhile, Fayetteville in the US scored an A after committing to convert all facilities to 100% renewable energy by 2030, and to reduce emissions by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.

We call on cities across the globe to share their climate actions and strategies through the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System, and work to join the ranks of the A list, Appleby added.

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