Thirty-four cities from 14 participating countries have been selected from among 163 entrants in this year’s Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) to receive special recognition by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for “impressive actions” on climate change.

The EHCC project aimed to mobilise action and support from cities in the global transition towards a sustainable future powered by renewable energy.

An expert jury would now review the actions and commitments reported by these 34 cities and, ultimately, identify one sustainability leader per country for the National Earth Hour Capital Awards, to be presented on March 27, in Vancouver, Canada.

South Africa’s two contenders – Cape Town and Durban – were among six South African cities that participated in the collaborative programme between the WWF and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives- (ICLEI-) Local Governments for Sustainability, by registering their green urban development plans for building, transport, energy and food systems on the carbon Cities Climate Registry (cCCR), the internationally recognised carbon reporting platform managed by ICLEI.

“It is inspiring to see the increasing number of cities striving to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and making great strides in the transition towards a renewable-energy future,” commented WWF EHCC lead Carina Borgström-Hansson.

“Despite their commendable efforts, cities can’t do it alone. If we are to protect the world from dangerous climate change, while meeting human needs, a radical shift in investment must take place. In addition to local governments, national policymakers, businesses and major financial institutions must be a part of this transition,” she said.

The WWF has worked closely with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability to mobilise cities to join the challenge and enable their reporting through cCCR.

“As a main partner, ICLEI is proud to support the WWF’s EHCC as it grows to become an essential global initiative for rewarding cities’ sustainability achievements through the active participation of our member cities, regional offices and cCCR,” commented ICLEI secretary-general Gino van Begin.

The 34 cities that are contenders for the Earth Hour Capital title for 2014 are Antwerp, the Brussels Capital Region, and Ghent, in Belgium; Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, in Brazil; North Vancouver and Surrey, in Canada; Medellín and Monteria, in Colombia; Copenhagen, in Denmark; Lappeenranta, in Finland; Cochin, Coimbatore and Hyderabad, in India; Semarang and Bogor, in Indonesia; Mexico City, the Municipality of Aguascalientes and Puebla, in Mexico; Cape Town and Durban, in South Africa; Seoul and Suwon, in South Korea; Eskilstuna, Stockholm and Växjö, in Sweden; Khunhan, Muangklang and Nongsamrong, in Thailand; and Boulder, Chicago and Cleveland, in the US.