Paris named Global Earth Hour Capital 2016 by WWF

The French capital Paris has been named Global Earth Hour Capital for 2016 by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) yesterday in Switzerland.

Paris was awarded for its long-term vision in climate action as well as its commitment to sustainability within business, civil society and other global cities, to which it has become a role model thanks in part to holding last year’s COP21.

A review process has been installed by the city in order to track the progress made towards the sustainability goals and a centralised Climate Agency was also created to ensure clean vehicles, extend public transportation and develop waste-to-fuel conversion.

125 cities in 21 different countries participated in the WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge 2016 and were evaluated on their level of ambition and innovation in developing sustainable solutions.

Paris’ innovative actions and willingness to collaborate and share its knowledge with other cities worldwide has made the difference with the other 18 national finalists for the WWF prize.

Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International, said: “As the world works to bring the Paris climate agreement into action, the ‘City of Light’ is leading by example. Winning WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge reflects Paris’ commitment to inspire global action to reduce emissions and build environmental sustainability through green urban development.”

Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, said: “I am very happy and honoured to see Paris win the prestigious WWF Earth Hour City Challenge award. This recognition encourages us to do even more for the health and well-being of our citizens and for the good of the environment... This award also comes as a great boost to the Paris 2024 bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games which has had sustainability at its very core since the beginning.”

Paris’ bid for the Olympics 2024 also launched on 14 June its Environmental Excellence Committee  in collaboration with WWF France to implement best practice in sustainability, and its Co-Chairman and member of the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Committee, Tony Estanguet has also been an important figure in the promotion of green initiatives and sustainable development with its speech on ‘Innovation of French Sport and the Climate’ at COP21 in December 2015.

Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 Co-Chairman, said: “We are delighted that Paris has been acknowledged as the leading city in green initiatives by WWF. This award highlights Paris’ first class record on sustainability – something which is reflected in the core values of the Paris 2024 bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The bid is firmly committed to delivering an environmentally friendly Games and our pioneering vision will ensure a sustainable legacy for all Parisians.”

Paris now follows the lead of previous winners including Vancouver, Cape Town and Seoul, who all demonstrated strong leadership in developing solutions to fight climate change and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.