Climate Migration Task Force Meets at C40 World Mayors Summit and Welcomes New Members Karachi and Guadalajara

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Ahead of COP30, mayors from across the globe met in person to reaffirm a shared vision for city-led action on climate migration and present their priorities for action to the COP30 Presidency.

Organized by the Mayors Migration Council and C40 Cities as part of the Global Mayors Task Force on Climate and Migration, the meeting gathered leaders from Amman, Bogotá, Freetown, Guadalajara, Milan, Paris, and Portland during the C40 World Mayors Summit.

During the meeting, mayors reviewed new evidence on the critical role of migrants in filling key green jobs and discussed needed international and national financing to support city-led action through vehicles like the UNFCCC's Loss and Damage Fund. Mayors shared their calls for action on climate migration with the Brazilian COP30 Presidency, which has put issues of climate justice at the forefront of their leadership.

"It is crucial to understand that climate migration is not a future threat, but a current reality today - including here in Brazil," said Alice Vogas, COP30 Presidency Programme Director. "Cities and mayors are a critical partner in delivering inclusive responses to these challenges, and I welcome the opportunity to have met with the C40-MMC Task Force mayors to discuss our shared priorities on these issues."

The meeting also provided an opportunity to welcome two new members to the C40-MMC Task Force: Mayor Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui of Karachi (Pakistan) and Mayor Verónica Delgadillo García of Guadalajara (Mexico). They join the mayors of Amman, Freetown, Milan, London, São Paulo, and Washington, DC.

"I am proud to represent Karachi as we join the C40-MMC Task Force. Our city has welcomed over one million climate migrants in the past 20 years, with projections of up to 2.3 million more by 2050. Karachi is acting now-strengthening vulnerable communities, expanding water access, and deploying nature-based flood solutions to protect residents, including migrants and refugees," said Mayor Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui of Karachi, Pakistan.

As rising temperatures, droughts, floods, and extreme weather make certain areas unlivable, people are moving - mostly within national borders, over short distances, and from rural to urban areas. The World Bank projects that over 200 million people - basically the population of Brazil - will be displaced by climate change by 2050. And the majority of these climate migrants will settle in cities. Whether at the point of origin, in transit, or at the destination, mayors are stepping up and driving solutions to support climate migrants and ensure prosperous cities. These solutions are helping people stay out of harm's way, relocate safely when staying isn't an option, and access the support and services they need in their new homes.

"Joining this Task Force reinforces Guadalajara's commitment to linking climate action with social and economic opportunity. The city, shaped by decades of migration, now faces rising urban pressures and climate risks - from extreme heat to water stress - but we're already acting, creating thousands of green jobs, expanding public transit, and supporting migrants and refugees," said Mayor Verónica Delgadillo García of Guadalajara, Mexico.

The C40-MMC Task Force was launched by C40 Cities and the MMC in 2021 to raise awareness about the urban dimension of climate and migration and accelerate global, national and local responses to these challenges. In line with its Action Agenda, released at COP26, C40-MMC mayors are already delivering bold action to increase resilience in the face of climate risks, foster inclusion for those forced to move in the context of the climate crisis and ensure no one is left behind in the green transition. This includes influencing the Loss and Damage Fund and unlocking millions in investments in the MMC's Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees to accelerate inclusive climate action.

"As C40-MMC Task Force mayors, we believe that climate change is the real crisis of our time, but the migration it generates does not need to be," said C40 co-chair, MMC Leadership Board member and Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr. "Whether at the origin, transit point, or destination of climate migration, cities are often at the forefront of inclusive responses, but we need greater support from our national and international counterparts to deliver at the scale needed".

"The C40-MMC Task Force shows what happens when mayors have the tools to act - they create jobs, cut emissions, and give migrants a fair chance to thrive," said Vittoria Zanuso, Executive Director of the Mayors Migration Council. "From Amman to Freetown, cities are turning climate risks into economic opportunity and charting a new model for inclusive green growth."

"The C40-MMC Task Force is a clear illustration that when mayors act with a united voice, they have the capacity to set the agenda on frontier issues like climate and social justice," said Caterina Sarfatti, Managing Director of C40 Cities. "From building urban resilience to the worst of climate impacts, to delivering a green and just transition for all, including migrants and refugees, mayor-led responses are setting the example for others to follow."