Nordic mayors highlight role of non-state actors

Twenty mayors and city leaders from the Nordic countries have asked Cities Today to publish an open letter to convince national governments to take into account the views of cities, business, civil society and academia at the UN climate negotiations (COP21) in Paris next month.

In less than two months, by 11 December 2015, world governments will have met in Paris for the United Nations Climate Change Conference and should have arrived at a global climate agreement that can be signed by all major greenhouse gas emitters, including both developed and developing countries. If Paris 2015 is successful, it will be a major step towards sustainable development and a safer environment for all.

But a good agreement will not happen on its own. If governments are to take bold actions, they must feel both the pressure and the support from cities, businesses, civil society, scientists and many other stakeholders.

For many, the words ‘climate change conference’ are a reminder of the climate conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. That conference was not the success many had hoped for, since the participating governments could not agree. Of course, there is a risk that the same situation might be repeated in Paris in December. This would be very dangerous, since the situation today is graver than it was five years ago. The actual climate and environmental realities are even more challenging now; climate scientists now know a lot more than they did just five years ago–and their warnings are dire.

On a number of other fronts, the situation has actually improved since 2009. Technological progress and new business models have made renewable energy (solar and wind power) a competitive and rapidly expanding component in our energy supply. This energy shift opens up fascinating possibilities. It is also clear that progress on the climate front does not depend solely on what our governments decide.

Non-state actors play a crucial role: cities and regions are taking far-reaching decisions, some major progressive global corporations (some of which have Nordic roots), are changing their way of working, civil society organisations have mobilised citizens as never before, religious communities and leaders have taken action, a global divestment campaign is under way to halt investment in fossil fuel-based companies, and consumers are altering their consumption patterns.

Mayors and city leaders met this past summer for the ‘Round Table of Cities and Mayors leading the New Climate Economy’ in June in Visby, Sweden, and have continued working together.

Our cities are in different ways at the forefront of the global shift to a carbon-neutral future and more sustainable economies and societies, where Nordic solutions are showing the way forward. We are playing important roles in the climate efforts in the Nordic countries, building on the Nordic tradition of pragmatic mobilisation and consensus through cross-political agreements in the face of important decisions. Also, we are stimulating new forms of collaborative solutions by encouraging citizen participation.

We are also exploring new forms of cooperation for climate action between us, in order to share our best examples, spread our best practices and also learn from each other’s failings. Finally, we are joining other local, regional and global collaborative efforts among the cities of the world. We commit to sign the Compact of Mayors as well as joining and supporting various mayors’ initiatives, such as the Covenant of Mayors, being planned for Paris 2015.

Signed by:

Katarina Luhr, Vice-Mayor (Environment) of Stockholm, Sweden

Dagur Bergþóruson Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavik, Iceland

Morten Kabell, Mayor (Climate/Energy) of Copenhagen, Denmark

Tomas Häyry, Mayor of Vaasa, Finland

Runar Bålsrud, Mayor of Hurdal, Norway

AnnSofie Andersson, Mayor of Östersund, Sweden

Anders Teljebäck, Mayor of Vasterås, Sweden

Anne-Kristine Linnestad, Mayor of Ski, Norway

Aleksi Randell, Mayor of Turku, Finland

Bo Frank, Mayor of Växjö, Sweden

Jimmy Jansson, Mayor of Eskilstuna, Sweden

Björn Jansson, Mayor of Gotland, Sweden

Niklas Nordström, Deputy Mayor of Luleå, Sweden

Nils Hillerbrand, Deputy Mayor of Linköping, Sweden

Åsa Karlsson-Björmarker, Deputy Mayor of Växjö, Sweden

Ilmar Reepalu, Fm Mayor of Malmö, Sweden

Thore Vestby, Fm Mayor of Frogn, Norway

Ari Karjalainen, Project Director, City of Helsinki, Finland

Risto Veivo, Development Manager, Turku, Finland

Tuula Antola, Director for Economic and Business Development Espoo, Finland