SEOUL (April 9, 2015)—

The World Resources Institute, led by WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, and ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability and its carbonn Center announced a new partnership to help cities worldwide reduce their carbon footprint and pursue sustainable urban development. The two organizations formalized the agreement at the ICLEI World Congress in Seoul, South Korea.

Cities account for 70 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, with rapid urbanization adding new challenges for city leaders.

“Advancing low-carbon, resilient cities is one of the greatest opportunities we have to improve quality of life for billions,” said Ani Dasgupta, Global Director, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. “We look forward to deepening our work with ICLEI to help cities in emerging economies become more livable, productive, and sustainable, while reducing their contributions to climate change. Through innovative solutions in areas like urban transport, land use planning, energy efficiency, adaptation, and finance, we can make urban sustainability a reality.”

ICLEI and WRI have already worked together for more than three years to develop the Global Protocol on Community Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GPC) and support the Compact of Mayors initiative. The GPC is the first global standard to measure urban greenhouse gas emissions—currently used by more than 100 cities worldwide—while the Compact of Mayors convenes city leaders to set and report on ambitious emissions reduction targets.

The new partnership will further cities’ ability to fight climate change by conducting cutting edge research and creating tools to reduce emissions and enhance urban resilience.

“Innovative solutions can be found in the fields of transportation, emissions reduction, and climate adaptation. Examples such as the GPC, the Compact of Mayors, the Urban-LEDS project, and the newly launched Transformative Actions Program show us the way forward. But more needs to be done,” said Gino Van Begin, ICLEI Secretary General. “The partnership with the World Resources Institute will add momentum to these existing initiatives, enhance technical support and guidance to cities, and further advance our efforts in making cities around the world more sustainable.”

Photo credit: Jonathan E. Shaw, Flickr