Looking for Hope on Climate? Look to North America's Mayors

By C40’s new Regional Director for North America, Kate Johnson

Just over a month into the Trump Presidency, and with no shortage of new challenges and uncertainties, one thing remains clear: The future of climate action runs through cities. As I step into the role of Regional Director for North America, I am honored to work with C40’s ambitious mayors from the United States and Canada. It is clear to me that the resolve of mayors is both the result and the driver of strong global networks committed to climate action.  

With the international landscape changing and the future of climate leadership at the national level uncertain, 2025 will be a defining year for the global fight against climate breakdown. Nonetheless, mayors’ commitment to act is stronger than ever, and they are delivering the results to prove it. 

Across North America, mayors are taking climate action that improves lives and delivers healthier, safer, and more prosperous cities. In 2024, Seattle successfully passed Mayor Harrell’s Transportation Levy to fund critical sustainable transport initiatives including the Low-Pollution Neighborhoods. In Phoenix, C40 Vice Chair Mayor Kate Gallego secured funding for 27,000 trees and more than 500 shade structures at schools, parks, bus stops and private properties to protect residents from extreme temperatures. 

In the year ahead, mayors will showcase successes like these on the global stage at events like COP30, demonstrating continued progress on climate action, and reassuring the global community that our shared goals are still within reach. 

I witnessed this dynamic firsthand during the first Trump administration when I was working for the city government in Washington, DC. While the White House abandoned the Paris Agreement, we joined with cities across the country and the world to raise our ambition, and used that momentum to pass the Clean Energy DC Act which committed DC to 100% clean energy and created one of the first and most ambitious decarbonization standards for buildings in North America. Cities across the US took similarly ambitious action while reaffirming their own commitment to the Paris Agreement. 

This year, despite the chaos caused by Trump’s early executive actions, US mayors are already proving that progress will continue. Mayor Johnson in Chicago is launching Green Social Housing, delivering affordable, sustainable homes for Chicagoans. Mayor Wu passed an innovative and impactful zoning ordinance in Boston that requires new buildings to achieve net zero carbon emissions standards. And mayors across the US and Canada are speaking up for programs that create jobs, cut energy bills, and improve health. 

Despite the noise, it’s clear that climate action is pressing forward in North America. Mayors from across the region have ample evidence for the world: the work goes on, and we’re delivering results.