Letter from our Executive Director

ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA is committed to delivering on the promise of the Paris Agreement through our five pathways: low emissions, resilient, equitable and people-centered, nature-based, and circular development. 

In 2021, we plan to marshall 150 exceptional ICLEI leaders, draw on our rich repository of local government climate data and use our analytical acumen to move cities from advocacy to action.

For the more than 500 local governments with a current ClearPath(™) greenhouse gas emissions inventory, we will provide each city or county with their 2030 science-based emission-reduction target. As part of the ICLEI member journey, we will identify high-impact strategies and support community efforts to implement inclusive, resilient climate policies in specific sectors: buildings, transport, waste, clean energy, food and nature.

ICLEI USA will recognize 150 city and county leaders, whose targets and actions will be highlighted to our national audiences throughout the year and to international audiences at COP26 in November, along with other high-profile events this year, including the Biodiversity COP and Daring Cities.

These 2030 targets will put individual communities on the path toward zero-carbon by 2050. When taken collectively, the “ICLEI 150” will serve to mobilize state and federal policy, the support of private-sector leaders, and inspire communities in all regions and sizes.

As we round the corner into 2021, the lives and livelihoods lost during the pandemic remain in our thoughts. We are grateful to the local elected officials and staff who stepped up to press forward on climate and sustainability while governing during extraordinary times. ICLEI is proud to have supported them and to share their stories in our 2020 Annual Report.

– Angie Fyfe, Executive Director, ICLEI USA