Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  November 22, 2023

New Cities Added to CDP's 'A List'

The CDP’s 2023 ‘A List’ includes 119 global cities, based on their actions in environmental action and transparency.

Many urban areas, including the global south, are making improvements to their cities, according to the sixth annual list published by CDP, a non-profit which operates the global environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions.

In 2023, 939 cities reporting through CDP-ICLEI Track were scored by CDP. 13% of them received an A. 

CDP’s analysis demonstrated that renewable energy use is rising amongst A List cities, with some cities reporting that renewable energy makes up the vast majority of their energy consumption, such as San Francisco (84%), Quito (86%) and Trondheim (91%).

The cities on the 2023 A List include Barcelona (Spain), Denver (U.S.), Mexico City (Mexico), Cape Town (South Africa), Quezon City (the Philippines), and Canberra (Australia).

Many cities are making environmental action more mainstream to their operations. This is reflected in the growing number of cities that are consistently receiving an ‘A’, despite the fact that the criteria to score an A have tightened. 

In the global south, cities in Ecuador, Peru and Jordan receiving their second-ever A; cities in Chile and Malaysia receiving their third A; and cities in Argentina and South Africa receiving their sixth A. 

Two fifths of cities (40% or 47 cities) are new to the A List this year, with the global south being well represented again – Istanbul (Türkiye), Jakarta (Indonesia), Bogotá (Colombia) and Can Tho (Vietnam – the first time the country has appeared on the A List) – all receive their first A.

Europe has the largest share of cities (48) on the 2023 A List. North America has the next highest number of cities (42) on the A List, followed by Latin America (11), Asia (8), Oceania (6), the Middle East (3) and Africa (1).

The U.S. has the most A List cities of any one country (35) including Los Angeles and  Philadelphia. The U.K. has continued the steady rise in the number of its local authorities on the A List from 19 in 2022 to 26 in 2023 - new cities include Birmingham, Brighton & Hove and Cambridge.

“2023 will be remembered as the year when centuries-long climate records weren’t just broken, but smashed, in mere days and weeks,” said Maia Kutner, CDP Director of Cities, States and Regions, in a statement. “While cities around the world felt the full force of the year’s climate disasters, from heatwaves to floods, it’s positive that many are leading by example in tackling climate change with tangible action.”

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