The has been named among the world’s top performers on climate action by the non-profit Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for the second consecutive year.
The Corporation, the governing body of the Square Mile, has achieved CDP’s prestigious “A List” rating, awarded to just 15% of the 800 cities assessed globally in 2024.
The recognition highlights its strong leadership and transparency in taking climate action, with the organisation commended for its wide-ranging efforts to reduce carbon emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change across multiple sites and sectors.
Now in the fifth year of its Climate Action Strategy, the City Corporation has committed to supporting the Square Mile to reach net zero by 2040, strengthening climate resilience, and championing sustainable growth. It is also aiming to achieve net zero carbon emissions in its own operations by 2027, and its full value chain by 2040.
It has already seen tangible benefits through a programme of urban greening across the Square Mile – creating pockets of shade cooling streets by up to 6°C in summer peaks, boosting biodiversity, and helping communities adapt to rising temperatures.
Other 2024 highlights include:
- 35% emissions reduction across the Square Mile since 2017
- Launch of a Historic Buildings Retrofit Toolkit
- Publication of a Local Area Energy Plan for a net zero energy system
- Expansion of urban greening and climate resilience measures
- 65% emissions cut in its own operations since 2018/19 – forecast to make energy savings of over 1.5 million kWh per year
- 23% emissions cut across its value chain since 2018/19
This recognition comes ahead of the City Corporation’s flagship event at London Climate Action Week, Europe’s largest climate festival, taking place 21-29 June 2025. Now in its 7th year, it is the largest city-wide climate festival in Europe, attracting over 45,000 people annually.
Corporation Policy Chairman Chris Hayward said:
“We’re proud to be recognised again as a global leader in climate action. Reaching net zero is not just a moral imperative – it’s an economic opportunity to attract investment and innovation to the UK.
“Amidst the backdrop of increasing global uncertainty, one certainty prevails: the persistent threat of climate change and the City stands ready to play a leading role in meeting this challenge.”
The City Corporation has also embedded climate action measures into all its operations, in recent years, including:
- Running a ‘Cool Streets and Greening’ programme, introducing measures such as climate-resilient urban greening, sustainable drainage and tree-planting in streets and open spaces – tackling several climate risks including overheating, water stress, and flooding.
- Managing and protecting 11,000 acres of green space in and around London which remove around 16,000 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere a year, equivalent to 44% of emissions from its own operations in 2018/2019.
- Being the first UK authority to run a fully zero-emission fleet of refuse vehicles and using 100% renewable energy.
- Through a £40 million Power Purchase Agreement with international energy provider Voltalia, the City Corporation buys all the electricity produced by a solar farm in Dorset. The facility provides over half of the City Corporation’s electricity, powering sites including the Barbican Centre, the Old Bailey, Guildhall, several schools, as well as social housing estates, across the capital.
Notes to editors
The Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally successful UK – .
A full and transparent account of the City Corporation’s progress in reducing carbon emissions and increasing climate resilience is available through its Climate Action Dashboard.
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