Climate Mayors, a nationwide coalition of over 350 mayors dedicated to climate action, announced their 2025 leadership team on Monday, Jan. 6 — which includes Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens as a new vice-chair along with Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise, Idaho.
The coalition started in 2014 and has mayors representing 46 states. Six other mayors besides Dickens from across the state of Georgia are currently listed as part of the climate mayor coalition: Michael Owens (Mableton), Vince Williams (Union City), Patti Garret (Decatur), Beverly H. Burks (Clarkston), Kelly Girtz (Athens) and Van R. Johnson (Savannah).
The full 2025 leadership mayors are:
- Mayor Kate Gallego, Phoenix, Ariz. – Chair
- Mayor Lauren McLean, Boise, Idaho – Vice-Chair
- Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta, Ga. – Vice-Chair
During the kickoff event, Dickens expressed his excitement about being a vice-chair alongside Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise, Idaho.
“Local leadership can really deliver on bold, equitable solutions to address the climate crisis and improve quality of life for all of our residents,” Dickens said.
Climate has been at the forefront of a number of issues for Mayor Dickens and Atlanta.
A new analysis from Axios shows that Atlanta has been experiencing more frequent, warmer winter days — a likely consequence of climate change. The city has also been at the center of studies like UrbanHeatATL that show it experiences the urban heat island effect disproportionately, with underinvested neighborhoods feeling the effects of extreme heat more readily. For a city with a legacy of redlining with effects that persist to this day, a warming Atlanta matters.
A hotter Atlanta will also mean a greater cooling demand in a region of the country that routinely has the highest proportions of energy burden in the country.
“We’re on track in Atlanta and have 42 and a half percent of our goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 56 percent by 2030,” said Dickens, acknowledging efforts like the Solar Atlanta program from the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience that helps solar be put onto municipal buildings and the world’s busiest airport. “We are doing all that while prioritizing equity by reducing the energy burden by households that are struggling with the rising utility costs.”
One of Dickens’ most controversial steps — supporting the “Cop City” project that is being built on Atlanta’s Weelaunee Forest, the city’s largest greenspace — has left some feeling unenthusiastic about the mayor and his commitments to combating climate change.
Nevertheless, as a vice-chair, Dickens said he hopes to leverage these connections to collaborate with other organizations he is a part of, like the African American Mayors Association and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Water wisdom
Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix, Ariz., — the new chair for the organization — spoke about the collaboration that the coalition has helped facilitate for local governments in her region and the increasing concern over one of the most valuable resources on the planet — water.
“For so many western cities, our water supply is crucial to our health, safety and future,” said Gallego, adding that the Western Water Working Group within Climate Mayors has brought together mayors from throughout the West to share ideas. “We have had so many of my local Arizona mayors involved in the Western Water Group, and that’s really helpful because we have so many shared challenges.”
Gallego named a few examples that came to mind from cities that have been tackling their own water issues, citing the Climate Mayors Western Water Group as a uniting factor.
“Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett is doing some incredible things and helped us understand how to pay for it; we are learning a lot from what Salt Lake City is doing with the challenges that they have, including around the lake that gives their community their name,” Gallego said. “We got to learn from Los Angeles and San Francisco about some of the ways they have developed policies to encourage responsible water use.”
Intersections that aren’t obvious
Mayor Justin Bibb of Cleveland, Ohio, who just concluded his term as chair of the organization at the start of this year, testified to the group’s usefulness in areas that don’t immediately come to mind, too.
Over the last few months, Bibb said, he has led a working group within Climate Mayors focused on the intersection between climate change and public safety.
“Climate change and climate justice is a public safety issue, and there’s no question about it,” Bibb said. “All the data tells you that if you live on a heat island, where there are high temperatures, and there’s not a good park to go to, you’re more stressed out — [and] those are areas in our cities like Cleveland where we have an increase in violent crime.”
Bibb added that groups like the unsheltered population also fall under public safety concerns, especially on the hotter days of the year when temperatures are unbearable.
Climate Mayors said they have launched another cohort on climate affordability and prosperity, and will continue to look at ways climate intersects with other areas.
Mayor Gallego’s focus on water conservation in the Western U.S. is critical, especially as drought conditions worsen. Sharing strategies between cities like Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles can lead to more effective solutions.
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With Mayor Dickens’ experience and vision, the role of vice president will help promote climate initiatives and create positive changes for the community.