Following the April signing of the Paris Agreement, R20 (Regions of Climate Action) and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation announced the formation of a new partnership to accelerate climate change solutions.
A new $650,000 grant from LDF allows R20 to identify and fund the best energy and infrastructure initiatives with the potential to create positive environmental and social benefits to communities across the globe.
In 2010 former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other global leaders in cooperation with the United Nations formed R20 — a coalition of partners led by regional governments that work to promote and implement projects to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions while improving public health and local economies.
Together, R20 and LDF are following the mission of the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA) that was launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2014 to encourage investment in low-emission, climate resilient infrastructure in cities, and to close the investment gap in climate friendly projects in urban areas over 15 years. Under this framework, R20 will develop and construct these projects, as well as measure and report on their impact.
“I commend LDF and R20 for supporting the goals of the CCFLA. Partnerships like this one strengthen the effort to unlock billions of dollars of private investment in projects that will urgently address climate change,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “I thank them for their commitment to our environment, and to the future of humanity.”
“The Paris Agreement was an important first step for reducing global carbon emissions, but there is more that must be done to accomplish this important goal. Our partnership with R20 is a signal that it is also the responsibility of private organizations to take up the charge of accelerating the adoption of climate-saving technologies, worldwide,” said Leonardo DiCaprio, Chairman of Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. “We call on others to follow our lead because our planet is quickly running out of time.”
“R20 and LDF share an unwavering commitment to taking bold action on climate change by supporting proven solutions that will impact real change for our planet,” said Christophe Nuttall, Executive Director of R20. “With the support of our partners at LDF, we will help set a model for CCFLA members, governments and organizations take action to develop their own climate solutions in all parts of the globe.”
