SHENZHEN has been nominated for two City Climate Leadership Awards, the winners of which were expected to be announced in New York City yesterday.

    Recognized for their exemplary contribution to fighting climate change, Shenzhen Vice Mayor Tang Jie was expected to attend the C40 and Siemens City Leadership Awards Ceremony alongside Wang Chuanfu, chairman of Shenzhen-based BYD, China’s foremost manufacturer of electric vehicles.

    They will then attend and speak at the 2014 United Nations Climate Summit — a convening of more than 70 heads of states and representatives from eco-friendly industries around the world — which begins today.

    “We’re honored to be counted among the world’s most forward-thinking, environmentally conscious cities,” Tang said, in response to the nomination that was released Friday. “These nominations are an important culmination of the great, concentrated effort we’ve put into reducing citywide carbon emissions. We are extremely proud that our joint efforts with BYD have been recognized on a global scale.”

    Tang was responsible for the design and implementation of Shenzhen’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which began in 2010. As part of this scheme, the city reached out to BYD, supporting it in setting the benchmark for a greener more eco-friendly transportation infrastructure based on renewable energy, which can be adopted throughout China and around the globe.

    BYD has put over 800 electric buses and 850 electric taxis on the road in Shenzhen since 2009, massively reducing the city’s carbon footprint in spite of its rapid growth.

    “We’re working with BYD to put new energy to greater use,” Tang said. “Our goal is to significantly reduce the city’s dependence on fossil fuels and bring back all the blue skies. Cleaner air means a better life for everyone. This is the Shenzhen Dream — the dream of citizens around the world, really — putting sustainable development at the center of our collective effort to make the world a better place to live.”

    The annual City Climate Leadership Awards, jointly organized by C40 Cities and Siemens, provide global recognition for cities that are demonstrating leadership through the implementation of scalable solutions that lower emissions and address issues cities are facing as a result of global climate change.(SD-Agencies)