Act on Climate Change
Green Cities and Local Governments
Cities are on the frontlines of climate change — its worst effects happen locally and vary from region to region. Local governments have a responsibility to respond to these challenges by taking climate action.
The Green Cities and Local Governments campaign engages with cities to respond to climate change by providing resources, partnerships and a platform to take climate action. Cities are uniquely positioned to directly respond to community needs and bring people together. Click on our Global Day of Conversation toolkit below to see step-by-step how cities can unite stakeholders to create meaningful change for the citizenry:
We ask that you sign the proclamation within this toolkit and submit a short 1-2 minute video from Government officials to include:
- Commit to mandatory climate and environmental literacy training for 100 percent of your government staff.
- Commit to lowering your jurisdiction’s carbon emissions with a goal of lowering your emissions in half by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.
- Commit to integrating climate and environmental justice into all community decision making.
Videos will be highlighted on our Green Cities webpage and social media on a rolling basis.
Earth Day Statements from Local Officials
Mayors
Cities around the world are leading the way and developing innovative plans — ordinances, citywide strategies, public outreach and education campaigns — to drive climate action and resilience, and we’re here to help. Cities and local governments can implement climate action when state and federal governments drag their feet.
Mayors and local officials can lead the climate effort by making Earth Day a community-wide affair, bringing together community partners and local stakeholders to showcase innovative solutions, launch bold new initiatives and support civic action for the environment.
Earth Day campaigns build ambitious, inclusive movements that engage with every aspect of society. Mobilizations infuse people with a sense of purpose and enhance their ability to create meaningful change and participate in the success of local initiatives. These efforts focus on elevating science and promoting action and volunteerism on behalf of the environment and expanding environmental education.
Cities are growing at a rapid pace; making cities green is a necessary step in preparing for a healthier, more sustainable future. Through a global network of local government partners, we hope to mobilize millions of people to show the collective impact of local action and amplify the demand for climate action from national governments.
EARTHDAY.ORG is working with local governments around the world to use the platform of Earth Day to amplify local actions and initiatives or to launch new ones, such as:
- Banning or taxing any or all the ten most common single-use plastics.
- Creating a Zero Waste or Circular Economy plan.
- Developing a biodiversity protection strategy and establishing green corridors for wildlife in your city.
- Committing to plant hundreds of thousands of trees.
- Expanding or creating significant stretches of new green spaces, especially in marginalized and low-income areas.
- Mandating green roofs for all buildings.
- Developing and implementing a plan for all public transportation to run on renewable energy.
- Significantly expanding or creating pedestrian and bicycle-only zones in the city.
- Launching a Clean Energy or Zero Carbon plan.
- Establishing a carbon pricing or taxing scheme.
- Launching a major clean energy or green infrastructure project, taking climate justice into account.
- Passing stricter clean water and clean air ordinances.
- Revitalizing waterfronts.
- Setting high building efficiency standards for development projects and building upgrades.
Our Partners
Ban or tax single-use plastics
Join hundreds of municipalities around the world taking action to end plastic pollution by passing…