Mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced Bloomberg Philanthropies named Chicago as a winning city in the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge. The Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge is a $70 million dollar program that will accelerate 20 cities’ efforts to tackle climate change and promote a sustainable future for residents. Through the Climate Challenge – which is part of Bloomberg’s American Cities Initiative – Chicago is accepted into a two-year acceleration program that will provide new resources and access to cutting-edge support to help achieve an accelerated emissions reductions.

“From moving to 100 percent renewable energy in our public buildings, to supporting our private partners as they work to reduce emissions, Chicago is showcasing to the world the impact that cities can have on climate change for their residents and for people around the world,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “This national recognition is a testament to the progress and success of our efforts to improve our environment while the Trump administration continues to deny the science and impact of climate change.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies selected Chicago as a winning city because of its innovative and ambitious climate action plans to reduce air pollution and city-wide emissions with specific projects aimed at reforming transit and buildings sectors. Mayor Emanuel has taken leadership on climate change locally and nationally. In 2017, Mayor Emanuel committed the city to using 100 percent renewable energy in all municipal facilities. The Mayor also signed an Executive Order committing the City to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Chicago is 40% of the way to meeting the Paris Agreement target. Additionally, Chicago was the first major city to receive the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the US EPA.

In December 2017, the City of Chicago hosted the North American Climate Summit and 2017 C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards in partnership with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and C40 Cities Leadership Group. The Summit brought together over 50 municipal leaders from across the United States, Canada and Mexico to articulate commitments to the Paris Agreement. The Summit launched the Chicago Climate Charter, a first-of-its-kind international charter on climate change. The Charter has been signed by over 70 cities to date, representing tens of millions of people across the world and highlighting the scope and scale of city climate action.

“Cities are helping to keep America moving forward on climate change despite the lack of leadership from Washington, and this challenge was designed to help innovative mayors reach their goals,” said Mike Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Climate Action. “We were looking for cities with ambitious and realistic plans to cut emissions in ways that improve people’s lives, and mayors committed to getting the job done. Each of these winning cities brings those ingredients to the table - and we’re looking forward to working with them and seeing what they can accomplish.”

“The Paris climate agreement is a promise we made to our children—and we’re going to keep it,” said Rhea Suh, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The American Cities Climate Challenge gives cities the tools they need to lead the way. With cities generating the majority of the fossil fuel pollution driving climate change, and bearing the brunt of its impacts, fighting climate change begins in City Hall. These mayors are committed to delivering a brighter, more hopeful tomorrow for future generations.”

Chicago plans to use this support to achieve an accelerated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Bloomberg Philanthropies will work the city to achieve the following actions:

Chicago plans to use this support to achieve an accelerated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Bloomberg Philanthropies will work the city to achieve the following actions:

• Accelerating energy code compliance and city workforce training.
• Encouraging new low-carbon mobility options, such as expanding bikeshare to reach 100% of the City and developing policies that support car sharing and transit ridership while reducing vehicle ownership.
• Defining and expand the high-frequency public transit network to increase ridership by developing a strategy for increasing services.
• Creating an electric vehicle and solar readiness framework.
• Expanding renewable energy procurement and the solar workforce to meet municipal electricity demand.

As Climate Challenge winners, Chicago along with the other winning cities will be accepted into a two-year acceleration program with powerful new resources and access to cutting-edge support, led by experts at the Natural Resources Defense Council, Delivery Associates and others, to help them meet – or beat – their near-term carbon reduction goals, from creating high-impact policies to putting them into action. These resources include a philanthropy-funded team member to facilitate the development and passage of high impact policies, training for senior leadership to assist with implementation of their proposed climate plans, and citizen engagement support to maximize community buy-in.

Under the Mayor’s leadership, Chicago has enacted some of the strongest environmental protections, including some of the strongest bulk materials regulations for storage and handling in the nation. The Emanuel administration has banned new petcoke and coal facilities, and has prohibited the expansion of existing facilities. Further, Mayor Emanuel created the “Climate Change is Real,” website, putting information from the U.S. EPA’s Climate Change Website on the City of Chicago’s servers after the Trump administration removed the content from federal websites.

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About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies works in 480 cities in more than 120 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation and his personal giving. In 2017, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $702 million. For more information, please visit www.bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.

About the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge
Recognizing that cities account for more than 70% of global carbon emissions, the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge was formed with an investment of $70 million to enhance the work already being done by mayors across the U.S. and to support cities in the fight against climate change. The Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge aims to go beyond the theoretical and scale up high-impact urban climate solutions that are already proven to succeed - specifically, from the buildings and transportation sectors. World-class partners for the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge will be led by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Delivery Associates. The Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge is part of Mike Bloomberg’s American Cities Initiative, a suite of more than $200 million in investments to strengthen city halls and advance critical policies.