Urban areas are responsible for an estimated 75 percent of C02 emissions worldwide, making city-level action critical for global efforts to address the climate emergency. One simple yet powerful way cities can reduce climate change and become more sustainable and resilient, is planting trees.

Strategically planted trees can cool the air by between 2 °C and 8 °C, thereby reducing air conditioning needs by 30 percent. A single tree can absorb up to 150 kg of C02 per year and help mitigate climate change.

In order to encourage Cities around the world to plant more trees, UNECE has launched the Trees in Cities Challenge - a global campaign to localise action taken to combat climate change and foster urban sustainability and resilience.

As part of the challenge, Mayors from across the world make a formal written pledge to UNECE, committing to plant a pre-determined number of trees by 2020.

The four Cities who have already accepted the challenge, are ICLEI Members Bonn (Germany), Helsingborg (Sweden), Tirana (Albania) and Victoria (Canada).

Speaking about the challenge, Ashok Sridharan, Mayor of Bonn (Germany) and ICLEI President, said: “the city of Bonn will plant around 25,000 trees in the city forest by the end of 2020. These are mainly native species, mostly oak, hornbeam and winter lime. In addition, at least 200 new street and city trees are to be planted in the same period. Like Bonn, ICLEI network cities around the world are focusing on nature-based development and sharing their efforts through the CitiesWithNature platform.”

Peter Danielsson, Mayor of ICLEI Member Helsingborg, added: “to truly create change, strategies and plans are not enough. We all have to take action towards the Sustainable Development Goals, and I am convinced that the world’s cities and their mayors must lead the way. Therefore I welcome the Trees in Cities Challenge. My pledge today is that the city of Helsingborg will plant 8,000 more trees before the end of 2020.”

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