Cities Race to Resilience launched

The Cities Race to Resilience initiative has officially launched as part of the Race to Resilience campaign, with a focus on driving cities to join the Race to make vulnerable communities resilient to climate change.

Learn more and join the Cities Race to Resilience initiative here.

In advance of COP26, the campaign is recruiting cities around the world to ensure adaptation and resilience are central to cities’ urban planning and inclusive climate action efforts. The commitment requires cities to pledge to undertake a risk and vulnerability assessment in their cities and act immediately by committing to at least one resilience action.

Mobilizing cities for the Race to Resilience could not come at a more critical time. As global temperatures increase, climate-fueled extreme weather continues to wreak havoc on communities around the world. Over 90% of cities around the world are facing significant climate risks with the public infrastructure systems, housing and public services standing to be impacted without action.

Cities Race to Resilience calls attention to the urgent need to build global climate resilience in a way that prioritizes people and nature, and enables vulnerable communities to thrive in spite of climate shocks and stresses.

Cities are now invited to join the Cities Race to Resilience and demonstrate their commitment to taking action in what can be a decisive year in tackling the climate crisis.

Working collaboratively, we can win the Race to Resilience.

“Building resilience is an essential element of global climate action, especially for communities most affected by the climate crisis. The aim of the Cities Race to Resilience is to place those voices front and center, and ensure that climate resilience goals are treated with the same if not greater urgency as our race to halve emissions by 2030. Whether you are a big city, a small city, a coastal city or a landlocked city, I encourage you to join Cities Race to Resilience,” Nigel Topping, UK High Level Climate Action Champion.

“Cities have been on the frontlines tackling the impacts of climate change. The Cities Race to Zero will encourage cities to identify risks and take the immediate action that is needed on resilience leading up to COP26 and beyond,” Gonzalo Munoz, Chile High Level Climate Action Champion.

“As dense population centers and global commercial hubs, cities are key to unlocking a climate-smart and livable future,” Arlene McCarthy, Acting Executive Director, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM).