Last edited Thu Oct 8, 2015, 10:46 PM - Edit history (1)
When world leaders gather in Paris in December to negotiate a global agreement on climate change, they will have a powerful ally standing behind them and urging them onward: mayors. In fact, mayors have already helped set the stage for success in Paris, by establishing models of cooperation that provide a strong foundation for the negotiations.
Through international coalitions like the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and the Compact of Mayors, cities around the world have been committing to major reductions in carbon emissions, while adopting a common measurement system and public reporting process to ensure that they can be held accountable. In other words: Many cities are already doing what the United Nations is urging national governments to do
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For example, bus rapid transit systems have spread from Bogota to Jakarta and many points in between. Melbourne Mayor Robert Doyle credits the progress in his city to “shamelessly stealing” strategies from New York and Toronto. Today, Melbourne boasts the highest density of Green Star-rated buildings in Australia and has doubled the number of trees in the city’s center.
The fact is, more shameless stealing would do the world a lot of good. That’s why the two of us decided to bring the State Department and Bloomberg Philanthropies together to launch the “Our Cities, Our Climate” exchange for city officials around the globe.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-10-08/all-climate-change-is-local
Former mayor Bloomberg is the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for cities and climate change
Here is a link to the State department speech - (select 2 ) http://www.state.gov/ Here is a link to the text of their speeches - http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2015/10/248043.htm
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