Athens Applauded at CDP Europe Awards 2021 for Green Recovery Practices

National Garden, Athens. Photo Source: @City of Athens

The Municipality of Athens has been honored at the CDP Europe Awards 2021 for its set of actions aimed at achieving “green recovery” in the post-Covid-19 era.

CDP is a not-for-profit charity that runs a global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts.

In 2020, for a second year in a row, the organization included Athens on its Cities A list – alongside 87 other cities from all over the world – for its efforts to reduce gas emissions and confront the impact of climate change.

Speaking during a show dedicated to the CDP Europe Awards 2021 on Euronews, Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis referred to the environmental policies that cities need to adopt in order to free public space and tap into the benefits of sustainable transportation.

“At the end of the day, we must be very clear about our strategic goals, and decide whether we want to move backward or forward,” he noted.

Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis (right)

The mayor also spoke about the municipality’s plans for the post-Covid-19 era: “This crisis is an opportunity to transform our cities and prepare for a new era of different challenges,” he said.

Furthermore, Bakoyannis stressed the need for cities to find solutions, reclaim and clear public areas, and adopt new models of sustainable development related not only to cars but also to mass transportation and alternative means of transport.

Bakoyannis participated in Euronews’ show alonside significant personalities from the fields of politics and entrepreneurship including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Turku Mayor Minna Arvee, European Commissioner Mairead McGuiness and European Investment Bank President Ambroise Fayolle.

The CDP Europe Awards 2021 event also featured senior executives of leading international companies and organizations such as LafargeHolcim, Lenzing, Handelsbanken Fonder, Ørsted, Eni and Norges Bank Investment Management.