Michael Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, and three-term mayor of New York City
Michael R. Bloomberg founded a start-up in 1981 focused on financial data, and after turning it into a global media company, he was elected mayor of New York City for three terms (2002-2013). Since leaving City Hall, he has resumed leadership of Bloomberg LP. Through his foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg is involved in multiple climate efforts, including partnering with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign and supporting state efforts to transition to renewable energy sources. Bloomberg has been at the forefront of involving the financial community in climate change, serving as Chair of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, and co-founder of the Risky Business Project.
The bulk of Bloomberg’s climate change efforts are focused on cities. In 2014, Bloomberg was appointed to be the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, and went on to create the Compact of Mayors (now the Global Covenant of Mayors). The Covenant, as well as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, of which Bloomberg is president, are both networks of cities committed to meeting ambitious climate-related goals and assessing their progress using common measurements.