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Twenty-six mayors sign climate change declaration

27 March 2015

by Richard Forster

Nine months before the world climate summit (COP21), local elected representatives and European mayors have signed in Paris a joint declaration strengthening cities’ commitment to fight climate change.

The meeting, Towards COP21, was hosted by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and included local government networks, CEMR and EUROCITIES among others. Some of the 26 European cities that attended were London, Vienna, Rome, Athens and Madrid.

Anna Lisa Boni, Secretary General, EUROCITIES
Anna Lisa Boni, Secretary General, EUROCITIES

“Our large European cities have made climate action a priority,” Anna Lisa Boni, Secretary General of EUROCITIES, told Cities Today. “This is not a choice but a necessity. But they are also recognising the opportunities it can bring, from local job creation and helping innovative SMEs to tackling fuel poverty and energy dependence.”

The declaration calls for the European Council, the Parliament and the European Commission to strengthen their support for the action of cities to address climate change, so that more cities benefit further from European funding.

More than 6,000 European cities, structured into networks, have already joined forces through the Covenant of Mayors and committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020. The declaration calls upon cities to push this further to 40 percent by 2030 with a significant target for renewable energy and energy savings.

Cities will also initiate, on a voluntary basis, pilot projects for group purchasing or joint investment in ‘green’ public goods and services for the benefit of their municipalities and communities.

“Our cities have valuable lessons to share, and the impact of local climate action should not be underestimated,” added Boni. “A global climate deal cannot work without exploiting the local potential.”

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