During COP30 negotiations, C40 Cities, an organisation of almost 100 global mayors, urged national governments to kick-start progress on a credible global plan to end our dependence on fossil fuels, as called for by Brazil’s President Lula, and to confront the impacts caused by the fossil-fuel-driven climate crisis – which are already being strongly felt in cities across the world.
Building on the landmark COP28 agreement to transition away from fossil fuels while tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, mayors stressed that COP30 must convert ambition into action, with a plan for a just, orderly, and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels, including through increased collaboration with local and regional governments.
C40 member cities have committed to collectively halving fossil fuel use by the end of the decade, with cities from countries most responsible for climate change going first and faster. C40 cities are moving five times faster than national governments’ current per-capita emissions reduction targets – proof that a fossil-free future is not just possible, but already taking shape on the ground.
In Belém, city leaders joined a growing coalition of countries and subnational leaders, including the Under2 Coalition Co-Chairs, to offer their support for a fossil fuel transition Roadmap with concrete actions to accelerate the implementation of the COP28 energy agreement.
Cities are ready and willing to contribute not only as partners in planning, but as essential drivers of delivery where it matters most. Mayors have repeatedly made clear that the era of fossil fuels must end – and that the world can only end it by working together with cities, where over 80% of energy emissions are found.
Cities Are Already Leading the Fossil-Free Transition
C40 cities are already taking bold, concrete action to drive down fossil fuel use and accelerate the clean energy transition. Aligned with C40’s mission to halve fossil fuel use by 2030, these actions show that cities are not just planning the transition – they are leading it in real time.
City leaders are cutting fossil fuel demand, scaling renewable energy production, and protecting residents from volatile and inequitable energy prices. Across the network, cities are standing up to powerful fossil fuel interests, actively countering harmful disinformation, and using legal tools to hold major polluters accountable for the climate damage they have caused.
At the same time, mayors are ensuring that the transition away from fossil fuels is fair and inclusive. Workers are being reskilled for the good green jobs of the present and future, and the economic benefits of the clean energy shift are being shared across communities.
From electrifying municipal transport fleets and amending building codes to end the use of gas in new buildings to creating clean energy utilities, C40 cities are delivering measurable emissions reductions – showing the world that ambitious climate action is not only possible, but credible, scalable, and already underway.
Across the globe, cities are already delivering this transition on the ground. In Rio de Janeiro, the RevoluSolar initiative created the first photovoltaic community in a favela, lowering energy costs and reinvesting profits into job training. Johannesburg installed solar minigrids and clean cooking solutions in informal settlements, providing safe electricity to over 12,000 homes.
Amsterdam is moving 550,000 homes off fossil gas by 2040 with neighbourhood-level planning and widespread support for clean heating. In Lagos State, measures such as food support, subsidised transport, and free maternal healthcare are protecting 500,000 vulnerable households as fuel subsidies are phased out.
And in Bogotá, women from marginalised communities are being trained and supported to become e-bus drivers, advancing both gender equity and fleet electrification. These examples demonstrate how cities are already delivering the fossil-free, fair, and resilient future the world needs.
Caterina Sarfatti, Managing Director of Inclusion and Global Leadership at C40 Cities, said: “Brazil is sending a powerful signal that the world must turn commitments into action and end the fossil fuel era. Cities welcome this momentum. Across our global network, mayors are already delivering the just transition to a clean energy future people deserve. As we look beyond COP30, cities stand ready to team up with national governments to co-create an ambitious and equitable roadmap to phase out fossil fuels and, crucially, to implement it where it truly matters: in our streets, in our communities, and in people’s lives. This is a key moment for our planet and cities are ready to lead.”
Beyond Belém: a Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Roadmap
National governments must chart a long-term path for the phase out of fossil fuels, looking far beyond this year’s COP in Belém to translate ambition to action well into the future.
This requires clear implementation pathways to accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels across power, transport, buildings, and industry, coupled with mechanisms to mobilise finance at scale so that cities and subnational governments can deliver on the ground. The roadmap must be collaboratively designed in a fair process, addressing the needs of countries in the Global South and ensuring cities, workers, and civil society have a seat at the table.
A truly effective transition must also be just and inclusive, empowering workers, unions, and civil society to shape fair outcomes and share in the benefits of the clean energy shift. Central to this effort is the full integration of cities and subnational actors, whose leadership, innovation, and delivery capacity are essential to scaling solutions and ensuring the transition reaches the communities and sectors that need it most.
Mayors are determined to be at the forefront of delivering a fossil fuel-free future. Speaking at the opening plenary of the C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the week before COP30, the Mayor of London and co-chair of C40 Cities, Sadiq Khan, said: “The climate wreckers want to chain us to the fossil fuels of the past, vandalising our planet and vandalising our homes with boiling temperatures, more pollution, and more climate-induced disasters. But the likes of the C40, the climate defenders, offer us an alternative. They offer our people freedom, dignity, and hope – freedom of lower bills and better health; the dignity of a secure and well-paid green job; the hope of a fairer, safer, cleaner, brighter, and more prosperous tomorrow.”
