Glasgow declared global green city at awards ceremony

Glasgow has been declared a global green city giving it worldwide recognition as a sustainable place to live.

The city received the top prize for 2020 at an online awards ceremony for the Global Forum on Human Settlements, a UN-affiliated organisation.

The Global Green City award, which is supported by the UN’s environment programme, puts Glasgow in the same bracket as previous winners such as Vancouver, Vienna, and Yokohama.

Councillor Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, said the award shows the city is “heading in the right direction”.

She said: “It has been wonderful to receive this award on behalf of Glasgow. Achieving the status of a Global Green City is an acknowledgement of the tremendous strides made by the city in overcoming the legacy of our past and building a better environment for our future.

“Glasgow is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and the city is joining together across a broad partnership to meet the challenges faced by the climate emergency.

“Our citizens must be at the very heart of our drive towards carbon neutrality. It is essential that our transition to carbon neutrality is just and sustainable for all the people of Glasgow, especially as we seek to recover from the Covid-19 crisis.

“With COP26 just over a year away, there could have been no better time for Glasgow to be recognised as a Global Green City. The award shows Glasgow is heading in the right direction, but also highlights the urgent need for cities such as our own to be at the forefront of the fight against climate change.”

Glasgow scooped the award after recording high scores across wide ranging criteria including planning, transport, low carbon and energy efficiency, transportation, buildings, open spaces and the economy.

Earlier this month Glasgow City Council published a draft Climate Emergency Implementation Plan, which detailed 52 actions intended to support the city’s 2030 carbon neutrality target. The plan will soon be put forward for public consultation.

Story by local democracy reporter Catherine Hunter