21 European cities get A marks for their climate transparency

CDP, the non-profit, compiling the list, is proud to point out that climate action is also spreading fast to the Global South

CDP, the non-profit responsible for launching the premier global carbon disclosure system for cities, has announced its 2022 A list of leaders and 21 European cities have found a place on it. The list includes capitals, economic centres and smaller cities, showing that climate action and transparency have become values shared by local authorities regardless of their size.

To score A, cities must meet several criteria showing climate transparency and action. Cities must disclose environmental data publicly through the CDP-ICLEI Track system, have a city-wide emissions inventory, and a climate action plan.

All A-List cities have renewable energy targets and, in a move towards aligning with science-based climate targets, emissions reduction targets that include a long-term (by 2050) net-zero goal or a mid-term target aligned with a fair share contribution of limiting warming to 1.5˚C.

Which are the 21 leaders?

The CDP A List Cities in Europe are: Athens, Bærum, Barcelona, Braga, Florence, Guimarães, Helsingør, Lahti, Madrid, Malmö, Mannheim, Oslo, Oulu, Paris, Porto, Tampere, The Hague, Trondheim, Turku, Vantaa, Vitoria-Gasteiz

Cities on CDP’s Cities A List report taking more than three times as many mitigation and adaptation measures as non-A List cities, such as:

• Athens: installing solar systems on 50 schools to cover 110% of their energy needs;
• Paris: renovating 1 million dwellings by 2050 and targets that 50% of construction sites are ‘zero waste to landfill’ by 2030, part of the city’s circular economy drive;
• Porto: where the city’s 46-gigawatt (Gwh) electricity contract for all municipal infrastructure is 100% renewable;
• Oslo simulates the impacts of extreme rain (cloudbursts) to inform its local development and floodway construction;
• The Hague, expecting up to 30cm in further sea level rises, invests in a unique nature-based solution at Zandmotor beach to keep the west of the Netherlands above water.

The recognition doesn’t end there, as all 21 A-List cities will also get to attend the 2023 CDP Europe Awards: Transform the Norm, to be held in Paris on 16 February 2023. The event will bring together a select group of high-level experts and representatives from the companies, cities and financial institutions, who will debate the way forward for a sustainable transition.

Global firsts

For the first time, this year over 1,000 cities were scored by CDP, including over 100 in Europe. 12% of cities scored A, while close to half of all cities globally (43%) are new to the A-List. 

Globally, the list of top-performing cities spans every continent and includes, also for the first time, several cities in the Global South - often among those most affected by climate and nature impacts. Mumbai joined CDP’s A List, the first time an Indian city has earned an A, while cities like Lima (Peru), Quito (Ecuador), Yaoundé (Cameroon), Amman (Jordan) and Kadıköy (Turkey) also joined the list of leaders.