January 20, 2022
Reykjavík receives a top rating in climate issues
The City of Reykjavík receives the highest recognition and top rating for being a leading city in international climate affairs. Reykjavík is one of 95 cities that receive an A rating for transparency in measures against climate change from the independent rating company CDP. Only 9.8% of cities that received a rating for 2021 received an A.
A total of over a thousand cities submitted data for the year 2020. 965 cities receive a rating, which is a considerable increase on the CDP list for the year 2021 compared to the previous year 2020 when 591 cities received a rating.
"This is an important confirmation that the city is on the right track. Transport and waste are the world's largest climate projects in the world. In terms of transport, we are increasing the number of realistic options for active travel with Borgarlína, many more cycle paths and better conditions for pedestrians. In waste management, we are starting to collect organic waste at home and improving the treatment of waste from the economy, also with SORPA's Gas and Composting Plant, which is the largest single project in the country in climate matters since the district heating took place. The climate issue will be an ongoing project in the coming decades and it is incredibly important that cities remain leaders, "says Dagur B. Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavík.
In order to receive a grade of A, cities must have published societal greenhouse gas emissions in the city, set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, set goals for renewable energy and published an action plan on climate change.
Cities that receive a grade of A must also have completed a risk assessment regarding adaptation to climate change and presented how the effects of climate change will be met. Many A-rated cities show a wide range of climate leadership and political support for climate action.
The City of Reykjavík meets exactly these requirements. The city has published information on greenhouse gas emissions in Reykjavík for years and since 2016 has had the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040. That goal is also stated in the Reykjavík Municipal Plan.
The City of Reykjavík published its first action plan on climate change in 2016 and has recently published a new action plan for the years 2021-2025. As part of the goal of becoming carbon neutral, the goal is to reduce emissions by 300,000 tonnes by 2030. The Paris Agreement's goal is to keep global warming below 1.5 ° C short.
The road to becoming a carbon-neutral city is part of the city's Green Plan, which is an investment plan for the next 10 years. A large part of the investment is due to projects and the development of neighbourhoods and infrastructure that pave the way for carbon neutrality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase carbon sequestration and adapt the city to the effects of climate change.
In order to keep global warming below 1.5 ° C, ambitious measures are needed and therefore the requirements for obtaining a grade of A have been increased. The result is that less than 10% of cities receive a grade of A.
Top-ranked cities are at the forefront of climate change and generally, take twice as many targeted actions against climate change as those cities that do not achieve an A rating and are at the same time spotting twice as many climate opportunities, according to the CDP.
Of the 95 cities that receive an A rating, 46 are new to the list. The cities are all over the world; from Canada to Japan and from South Africa to New Zealand. A total of 108 million people live in these cities, which is only a small part of the 4.2 billion people living in cities around the world.