Cities A List 2023

120 cities, stretching from Canada to the Philippines, have been named as global leaders in environmental action, ambition and transparency on CDP’s annual cities A List.

The A List, which was started by CDP in 2018, recognizes cities that have received the highest score for their transparency and bold climate action, and celebrates their achievements, vision and commitment in the fight against climate change.

Many cities are building on the momentum in their environmental action, making it mainstream to their operations. This is reflected in the growing number of cities that are consistently receiving an ‘A’, despite the tightening criteria to achieve this. This is particularly noticeable in the Global South, with 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.

What is an A List city?

To score an A, among other actions, a city must:

• disclose publicly through CDP-ICLEI Track;
• have a city-wide emissions inventory; and
• have published a climate action plan.

The scoring criteria for emissions reduction targets have been strengthened in a move towards aligning with science-based climate targets. An A List city must also complete a climate risk and vulnerability assessment (CRVA) and have a climate adaptation goal to demonstrate how it will adapt to climate hazards.

City climate leadership in action

This year, 939 cities reporting through CDP-ICLEI Track were scored by CDP, with 13% receiving an A. These cities are demonstrating their climate leadership through concerted and effective action, as they report taking four times as many mitigation and adaptation measures as non-A List cities.

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

You can read more examples of A List action in our press release.

The 2023 Cities A List

See previous years' Cities A Lists:

2022
2021
2020
2019
2018

More to explore