Climate
Global Covenant of Mayors

Cities Take the Stage at the Global Climate Action Summit in California

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

September 2018 Newsletter

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy serves cities and local governments by mobilizing and supporting ambitious, measurable, planned climate and energy action in their communities by working with city/regional networks, national governments and other partners to achieve our vision.

Cities Take the Stage at the Global Climate Action Summit

Climate action has taken on a new urgency, and people across the world and across sectors are ready to “Take Ambition to the Next Level.” This was especially clear at the Global Climate Action Summit held in San Francisco, September 12-14, where climate leaders and people worldwide gathered to celebrate extraordinary achievements of states, regions, cities, companies, investors and citizens with respect to climate action.

Throughout this impactful event, we aimed to shine a spotlight on the contributions of city leaders and announced new initiatives and tools to support cities’ efforts to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change, fulfilling their commitments and achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Read the full story to find out about all our new initiatives and tools! https://medium.com/@Mayors4Climate/cities-take-the-stage-at-the-global-climate-action-summit-8070a802789f Read Full Story

Latest News from the Global Covenant of Mayors GCoM hosted its second in-person Board Meeting alongside GCAS in San Francisco

Chaired by Vice Chair Christiana Figueres, the Board endorsed a new Board member nomination process, recommendations from the Global Regional Coherence Technical Working Group, the Innovate4Cities Agenda and Global Reporting Framework. The discussion by the Board’s Mayoral members and Co-Chairs were articulated around our 3 priority pillars, Data4Cities, Invest4Cities and Innovate4Cities and the overall meeting was received very positively and will guide the Global Secretariat and partners to start implementing the progress made on the Innovate4Cities Agenda and the Global Reporting Framework efforts. GCoM delivers on the first cities-driven research and innovation agenda, through its global climate accelerator, Innovate4Cities

On September 26, during the second One Planet Summit in New York City, GCoM revealed the Innovate4Cities agenda, a “made by and for cities” research and innovation agenda, that seeks to fill the local-level knowledge, information and technological gaps and ultimately help cities to undertake bold climate actions and ensure successful deliveries. Both announced by Co-Chairs Michael Bloomberg and Vice President Maroš Šefčovič during our GCoM press conference, and discussed in the Panel “Sharing Solutions” by Surabaya Mayor and Board Member Tri Rismahani. Learn more: Innovate4Cities Agenda. GCoM Launches a Chapter in Mexico

On September 11, the Global Covenant of Mayors – Latin America launched a chapter in Mexico to bring more climate champions on board in the region. The International Urban Cooperation (IUC) Programme, funded by the European Union, organized a GCoM technical information session during the Smart City Expo Latam Congress. The Chief of Delegation of the EU in Mexico, Imma Roca i Cortes, opened the session which was carried out by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) with the participation of local authorities and the Mexican National GCoM Coordinators and Facilitators. Following the session, GCoM welcomed new commitments in the fight against climate change from six cities in Mexico: Chihuahua, Huamantla, Orizaba, Saltillo, Santa Catarina and Xalapa. Join GCoM in Latin America GCoM Southeast Asia Launches in Surabaya

On September 13, during the UCLG ASPAC Congress in Surabaya, Indonesia, the Southeast Asia covenant of the Global Covenant of Mayors launched at a networking event organized by the IUC and UCLG ASPAC. Vincent Guérend, the EU Ambassador to Indonesia, opened the session followed by several representatives from Indonesian Ministries. After a ceremony for new signatory cities, the event ended with a panel of cities and key regional stakeholders discussing the main challenges cities face to taking action and the support needed from initiatives such as GCoM to meet their commitments. The GCoM Southeast Asia Covenant now includes 63 cities across 9 countries, representing a population of 36,525,586. Join GCoM in Southeast Asia Amsterdam Signs the Covenant 2030 Target

Amsterdam renewed its commitment under the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, with the capital city of the Netherlands pledging its CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Marieke van Doorninck, Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam for Spatial Development and Sustainability, who was elected in March 2018 , signed up to the 2030 mitigation and climate adaptation targets during the ChangeNOW Summit, which took place in Paris on September 28.

The city has been a member of the Global Covenant of Mayors since 2009 and decided to phase out natural gas by 2050 in order to remain a healthy, liveable, and forward-thinking community. During the Summit, the city of Ramnicu Valcea (Romania) also committed to present the EU Covenant 2030 targets at its next Municipal Council meeting, with a view to contribute to the overall objectives of the Paris Agreement.
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