All governments and financial actors must begin shifting investments towards a clean energy, resilient future and away from fossil fuels.
City leaders wield huge potential to help drive a massive shift of investment towards clean energy, job-creating sectors. Doing so is a powerful way for cities, their pension funds and other investors to protect against climate-related financial risks, align financial holdings with the opportunities presented by a just, green transition, and drive the acceleration to a sustainable, resilient economy. Investments in clean energy could also generate six times as many jobs as compared to fossil fuel investments, save hundreds of thousands of lives, enable cities to meet climate targets and help close the urban climate finance gap as cities develop projects to meet Paris Agreement goals, and create new jobs and economic opportunities in the process.
We support cities to align their investment policies with climate plans and targets, demonstrating strong climate leadership and an ambition to drive the swift transition to a sustainable economy. As part of this, many cities are actively engaging with their pension funds and other financial actors to advocate for capital to be reallocated to clean companies and sectors, and to help shape a financial system that supports investment in a cleaner, healthier future.
Adopting and promoting clean investment strategies sends a clear message about the need to move beyond fossil fuel-dependent business models toward a more resilient and prosperous future.
About the Clean Investment Forum
The C40 Clean Investment Forum is a pioneering initiative designed to help urban leaders accelerate investments in clean energy and sustainable sectors, driving the transition to a low-carbon economy. The Forum supports cities in developing and implementing Clean Investment strategies that align with climate goals, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and advocate for and engage with investors and other stakeholders to promote similar action.
Joining the Forum is open to any city, regardless of whether they have already made a mayoral commitment to C40’s Clean Investment Accelerator. This serves as an initial step for cities to engage with the network to learn and share clean investment initiatives, and provides the opportunity to eventually make a formal commitment to the Accelerator where cities endorse ambitious targets and commit to taking all necessary steps to achieve them through concrete actions and policies.
For more information on the city-led Clean Investment movement, a collection of resources is available on the C40 Knowledge Hub.
Clean Investment Accelerator
Launched at New York Climate Week in 2020, C40’s Clean Investment Accelerator provides a platform for leading global cities to publicly champion investment in sustainable, fossil-free solutions through their own capital allocations. It also supports cities in advocating for and engaging with investors, such as pension funds, and other financial actors to redirect investments away from fossil fuels and towards climate solutions, including those that foster good jobs and contribute to a just, green economy.
Signatories pledge to use their financial might to promote a just and clean energy transition through concrete actions at the city, national and international levels. Each city has developed an action plan, upon which they will regularly report. Learn more about the Accelerator including the latest progress report.
Joining is open to any city, including non-C40 signatory cities.
If you are interested in joining, please email the team at cleaninvestment@c40.org.