IBM and C40 Cities — a global network of nearly 100
mayors of the world’s major cities, united in action to confront the climate
crisis — have teamed up through the IBM Sustainability
Accelerator
to scale up climate innovation action in cities around the world.
The project will develop artificial
intelligence (AI) solutions to
advance city resiliency and address specific climate-related challenges facing
urban communities, in alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goal
11.
August 2024 was the hottest month on
record,
capping Earth’s hottest summer since global records began in 1880. Heat
stress is now the leading cause of weather-related deaths around the world,
according to the World Health
Organization,
and urban communities are disproportionately affected — as the typical “concrete
jungle” is characterized by a lack of green space and a predominance of concrete
structures and streets that absorb heat.
A growing number of organizations are working to address this by increasing
urban tree
cover,
facilitating community access to green
space,
and adding solar-reflective coatings to
buildings
and paved
areas
to help mitigate the heat island effect — and new
studies
and
frameworks
are emerging to help increase climate resilience and health equity in cities —
but these efforts remain piecemeal.
“Cities are on the frontline of an extreme heat crisis,” asserted Mark
Watts, Executive Director of C40
Cities. “Through this collaboration with IBM’s Sustainability Accelerator, we
have a groundbreaking opportunity to harness AI-driven solutions to help cities
analyze risks, strengthen resilience and protect their most vulnerable
communities. At C40, we are committed to ensuring mayors have the best data and
tools available to make informed decisions and drive impactful climate action.
We look forward to working with IBM to develop innovative strategies that will
help cities worldwide adapt to rising temperatures and build a more sustainable
future.”
In early 2024, IBM held a request for proposals from nonprofit and government
organizations for technology-driven projects to advance city resiliency. Out of
more than 100 applicants, C40 Cities was one of five organizations selected to
participate in this new cohort of IBM Sustainability Accelerator projects.
Participants were selected for their significant level of support to the
communities they serve, as well as the innovative ways each organization plans
to leverage AI technology to increase the resilience of cities. Each
organization will receive up to $3 million in cash and in-kind donations of
technology and services.
In spite of the US’ recent about face in climate-related policies and priorities
at the federal level, the C40 network of mayors joined many other government
and business
leaders
in reaffirming their commitment to meaningful climate action. As Kate
Gallego — Mayor of
Phoenix, Climate Mayors Chair and C40 Cities Vice-Chair — said: “Regardless
of the federal government’s actions, mayors are not backing down on our
commitment to the Paris Agreement. The cost of inaction is simply too high. As
we have recently seen from the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, extreme
summer temperatures in Phoenix, and hard-hitting hurricanes in North
Carolina and Florida, the effects of our changing climate are at our
doorstep. Our constituents are looking to us to meet the moment and deliver
meaningful solutions, which is why we’re expanding our work with partners across
the United States — from philanthropy and business leaders to members of
Congress and governors. We’re building an implementation plan that meets our
targets under the Paris Agreement and ensures that our cities remain resilient
and prosperous for future generations.”
IBM and C40 Cities will now work together to create a data-driven, AI-powered
solution to help cities analyze potential risks that may arise due to extreme
heat and the urban heat island effect — including stressed energy
resources,
increases in mortality rates and socioeconomic disparities. The new solution
will aim to enable cities to create adaptation
strategies
to help alleviate population health risks and economic burdens while
strengthening national resilience efforts. The Global Covenant of Mayors for
Climate and Energy and the Group on
Earth Observations will also support this
project.
The IBM Sustainability Accelerator is a social innovation program that applies
IBM technologies —including hybrid cloud and AI — and an ecosystem of experts to
enhance and scale nonprofit and government organization initiatives,
accelerating economic impact for communities vulnerable to climate stress. To
date, the IBM Sustainability Accelerator has supported 20 global projects across
four active cohorts focused on sustainable agriculture, clean
energy,
water management and resilient cities around the world.
“AI has the potential to unlock a new economic and innovation era for
communities worldwide, helping people tackle the challenges of today and
tomorrow,” said IBM VP and Chief Impact Officer Justina
Nixon-Saintil. “We believe that
much of this potential to improve people’s lives resides in transforming cities,
and this is what we are aiming to do with our AI technology and expertise.”
IBM and C40 Cities will collaborate over two years and in two phases. The first
phase will begin with the IBM Garage — IBM’s
methodology for accelerating digital transformation and delivering meaningful,
measurable outcomes. Next, during the Development and Implementation phase, IBM
experts will configure IBM resources and technology to help participants meet
their goals, support pilot deployments in communities and facilitate further
scaling.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Feb 17, 2025 8am EST / 5am PST / 1pm GMT / 2pm CET