“City Officials Stay Committed to Climate Action Post-Pandemic: Study Reveals Key Factors Driving Green Recovery Plans”
The study highlighted the importance of city officials being alert to the health risks of climate change in order to maintain climate action and enact ‘green recovery’ long-term plans after the pandemic. The health benefits of addressing climate change, such as cleaner air and increased access to green spaces, were found to be key motivators for city officials to continue with climate plans despite funding challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
Researchers analyzed data from 793 cities globally, collected from the Carbon Disclosure Platform (CDP) and other sources, to assess how cities responded to the COVID-19 crisis in terms of their climate actions, funding, and green recovery efforts. While the majority of city decision-makers maintained their climate commitments in the short term, only 43% of cities had green recovery plans in place, indicating a lack of investment in longer-term climate strategies.
The study also found that cities in the Global South showed higher ambition in climate action and green recovery efforts compared to cities in Europe and North America, despite facing greater funding challenges. City officials in the Global South were more likely to partner with other cities or businesses to strengthen climate action plans and sustainability initiatives.
Two main reasons were identified as driving city officials’ commitments to climate action: exposure to environmental stress and early engagement with climate and sustainability issues. Cities where citizens experienced more climate-related issues were more motivated to pursue sustained climate action, while cities that had already engaged in addressing climate and sustainability issues were more likely to continue these efforts even under crisis scenarios.
The research team is currently conducting in-depth interviews with city planning and administration officials in selected cities to further understand the motivations behind their climate actions. Preliminary interviews in Kochi, India, confirmed that factors such as coordination between state and local bodies, engagement with various stakeholders, and a focus on climate action post-pandemic were key to the city’s resilience.
Overall, the study emphasizes the importance of city officials being proactive in addressing the health risks of climate change to ensure the continuity of climate action and green recovery efforts in the long term. By understanding the motivations behind city officials’ commitments to climate action, researchers hope to help cities, especially those in the Global South, avoid the most serious consequences of climate change for their populations.