From more than 30 European cities Lisbon was chosen as the European Green Capital 2020 as the first city in Southern Europe. The Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, awarded Lisbon with the prestigious title. The choice fell on Lisbon because of its journey towards sustainability during economic crisis, offering a role model for other cities in the EU. Lisbon is especially strong in the fields sustainable urban mobility, green growth & eco innovation, sustainable land use, climate change adaptation and waste. It achieved a 50 percent reduction in CO2 emissions between 2002 and 2014 and reduced energy consumption by 23 percent and water consumption by 17 percent between 2007 and 2013. Lisbon then signed the New Covenant of Mayors for Climate Change and Energy in 2016 as the first capital in Europe and has a clear vision for sustainable urban mobility. Lisbon further launched a bike-sharing scheme in 2017 with many electric bikes due to the many hills and it has one of the largest networks of electric vehicle charging points in the world. Furthermore, 93.3 percent of citizens are well connected to public transportation and 76 percent have green urban areas near to their home. Also sustainable land use is a big topic to fight the effects of climate change.