An initiative from the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy to spur innovation globally and ensure AI technologies deliver tangible, people-centered solutions for a sustainable and resilient urban future.
We bring together global partners, innovators, and cities to accelerate the ambitious, ethical deployment of Artificial Intelligence to solve the most pressing urban climate challenges. We develop global competitions, pilot winning ideas in partnership with cities, and work with our partners to support and scale their solutions.
We deliver global events that bring together the AI innovation community and connect them directly with partners and cities. Our initiative is built on a commitment to real-world implementation.
The second edition of the AI x City Climate Action Hackathon built on lessons learned and expanded our scope with two themes, a regional deep dive and support, and city pairing for improved implementation.
The two new extended themes on energy access and identifying actions while tracking implementation captured diverse solutions from experts and students working with different approaches. We once again collaborated with a wide array of stakeholders, including city networks (C40 Cities, ICLEI) and experts in AI technologies and urban environments (Open Earth Foundation, Future Cities Laboratory Global, Urban Transitions Mission, European Commission Joint Research Centre). Furthermore, special prizes were awarded by partners such as Tech to the Rescue and Hack for Earth, in addition to our knowledge partner, the climaTRACES Lab from the University of Cambridge.
We received almost 50 submissions, with 17 finalists invited to pitch at New York Climate Week. Polisense. AI (Peru) and EcoGuardians. AI (Algeria) emerged as the winners for each theme.
The two expanded themes successfully captured a range of solutions, as well as the work of experts and students utilizing diverse methodologies.
The first edition of the AI x City Climate Action Hackathon focused on adaptation solutions for Brazilian cities. The challenge was delivered in partnership with a broad group of stakeholders: city networks (C40 Cities, ICLEI), leading organizations in AI (Open Earth Foundation, Viegand Maagøe) and geospatial technology (Picterra, Esri), as well as local data providers (AdaptaBrasil).
More than a dozen applications were submitted, each offering creative and innovative approaches to assist cities in assessing climate hazards. The initiative culminated in finalists pitching their ideas at the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference (I4C24) in Montréal, Canada.
The DUCTExplorer team from the Singapore-ETH Centre, was chosen as the winner of the Hackathon. The two other outstanding finalist teams were ResSolv, from Resilience AI, India, and ComuniClima, from the University of Campinas, Brazil.
2024 Winner
DuctExplorer / Pilot developed with Belo Horizonte, Brazil
The first-ever AI x City Climate Action Hackathon in September 2024, hosted as part of the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference (I4C24) in Montréal, Canada, kicked off a global call-to-action:
Can AI help assess the risks and vulnerabilities of Brazilian cities to heat, droughts, sea level rise, floods, and other climate hazards?
Out of this challenge emerged the DUCT*Explorer (*Digital Urban Climate Twin) – a team from the Singapore-ETH Centre – that came up with a groundbreaking approach to climate risk assessment.
“Participating in the 2024 Innovate4Cities Hackathon with Cooling Singapore was an exhilarating experience! Taking home the win opened incredible doors for us—we got to put our solution to the test in a whole new environment, powered by the amazing support from the Global Covenant of Mayors. The partnership they helped spark with the Belo Horizonte municipality was truly inspiring. Their team not only provided a wealth of data for our analysis, but also engaged enthusiastically at every step—constantly challenging and strengthening our ideas.”
– DUCTExplorer Team
From the onset, the team had a clear idea of which aspect of the challenge they wanted to focus on. Joining virtually from Singapore, the team presented their aim, process, and methodology clearly during the finale. Their innovative use of AI stood out, with the solution not only meeting the critical data access challenges but also providing actionable insights that could accelerate climate adaptation efforts in urban areas.
Despite the fierce competition, the team came out on top!
2025 Winners
Theme 1: Expanding energy access and alleviating energy poverty
Winner: Polisense. AI
Team Members: Bruno Galdos Huaranca, Jose Manuel Pastor Prado (Peru)
Theme 2: Identifying actions and tracking implementation
Winner: Ecoguardian. AI
Team Members: Chaima Hafsi, Moubarak Hamdoud, Mounir Abcire (Algeria)
Both teams received the main prize of USD $15,000 each in seed funding to further develop and pilot their solutions, as well as support from the Urban Transitions Mission to identify a city to be paired with to explore implementation on the ground. The teams were also awarded the Hack for Earth Special Prize where they received access to the digital edition of the Build for Earth acceleration program.
Tech to the Rescue AI for Climate Innovation Award:
Winner: Smart Tree System
Team Members: Gashbin Ali (Iraq), Hawkar Ali Abdulhaq (Hungary)
Winner: Ecoguardian. AI
Team Members: Chaima Hafsi, Moubarak Hamdoud, Mounir Abcire (Algeria)
climateTRACES Lab Special Prize Winners: RIFFAI (Thailand), Polisense.AI (Peru), WasteChain (Nigeria), FloodSentinel (Nigeria), Smart Tree System (Iraq / Hungary), EcoGuardian.AI (Algeria), LeakGuardian.AI (Pakistan)
Two Teams Awarded for Transformative AI-Powered Urban Climate Solutions New York City, New York (September 23, 2025) — The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) has unveiled the winners of the 2025 AI x City Climate Action Forum and Hackathon, held during Climate Week NYC in partnership with the New York Climate … read more
Two winning teams to be announced at the forum, unveiling AI-powered solutions that can transform energy access and accelerate city-led climate action. New York City, New York (September 17, 2025) — On September 22, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) and The New York Climate Exchange (The Exchange) will host the … read more
The first-ever AI x City Climate Action Hackathon last September, hosted as part of the 2024 Innovate4Cities Conference (I4C24) in Montréal, Canada, kicked off a global call-to-action: Can AI help assess the risks and vulnerabilities of Brazilian cities to heat, droughts, sea level rise, floods, and other climate hazards? Out of this challenge emerged the … read more
