Wellington has been recognised by CDP as one of 122 cities across the globe that is taking bold leadership on environmental action and transparency.

CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions.

To score an A, among other actions, a city must have a city-wide emissions inventory and have published a climate action plan. It must also complete a climate risk and vulnerability assessment and demonstrate how it will tackle climate hazards.

Wellington and the other 121 cities on this year’s A list are also celebrated for showing that urgent and impactful climate action – from ambitious emissions reduction targets to building resilience against climate change – is achievable at a global level, and in cities with different climate realities and priorities.

Many A list cities are also taking a variety of other leadership actions, including political commitment from a city’s Mayor to tackle climate change.

Mayor Tory Whanau welcomes this A list recognition and says she has been given a mandate by Wellingtonians to create a more sustainable City of Impact.

“This Council has already done a lot of hard mahi in terms of climate action, and we’ve still got so much to do and a long way to go, but this acknowledgement indicates we’re on the right track.

“From the implementation of the Paneke Pōneke bike network, to investing in environmental groups and organisations, building resilience, greening our city, and delivering on our climate change action plan, we will continue to show our commitment to Te Atakura – First to Zero, the goal of becoming a net zero carbon capital by 2050.

“We will create a City of Impact focused on people where communities and the environment thrive together,” says Mayor Whanau.

Cities cover less than 2 percent of the world’s surface, and yet they account for roughly 70 percent of global emissions, and 55 percent of the world’s population live in cities, a figure expected to rise to 70 percent by 2050.

Chair of the Kōrau Tūāpapa | Environment and Infrastructure Committee Councillor Tamatha Paul says as kaitiakitanga of the planet we have a responsibility to future generations.

“I'm proud of Council's strong track record on climate action. But we must continue to work hard to ensure that climate-friendly lifestyles are easy, affordable and accessible for everybody.”

Designed to encourage and support cities to ramp up their climate action and ambition, CDP’s Cities A List is based on environmental data disclosed by cities to CDP-ICLEI Track. A clear momentum in city climate disclosure and action is building – for the first time, over 1,000 cities (1,002 in total) received a rating for their climate action from CDP in 2022, a rise on the 965 cities scored in 2021. In 2022, just over one in ten cities scored by CDP (12 percent of such cities) received an A.

Nearly 20,000 organisations around the world disclosed data through CDP in 2022, including more than 18,700 companies worth 50 percent of global market capitalisation, and over 1,100 cities, states and regions. CDP is a founding member of the Science Based Targets initiative, We Mean Business Coalition, The Investor Agenda and the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative.

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