As the COP15 Summit did not reach a legally binding agreement at international level, local and regional leaders will have to step in to make the Copenhagen deal a real success.
As the COP15 Summit did not reach a legally binding agreement at international level, local and regional leaders will have to step in to make the Copenhagen deal a real success. “The recognition of scientific facts about the increase in global temperature and the political commitments on cutting emissions and providing financial support for developing nations to tackle climate change made by world leaders in Copenhagen are just a half step. We have no time to loose anymore and need to get into high gear now. To make the Copenhagen Accord a success it needs committed, bold and real action of regions and local authorities on the ground. Without local and regional commitment, the Copenhagen deal will be worth no more than the paper it is written on, said Luc Van den Brande, President of the EU Committee of the Regions, at the end of the UN climate change conference.
In Copenhagen, world leaders recognised the scientific view that the increase in global temperature should be below 2 degrees Celsius and recalled the necessity to cut emissions in a more transparent manner.”Now they expect thousands of local and regional leaders to commit their regions, towns and cities and make citizens undertake and accept concrete actions to bring the Copenhagen deal to life and make the real change happen. Their responsibility will be not only political, because they will have to explain this challenge to their citizens, but also financial, because they will have to find adequate resources.“ added van den Brande.
”For many regions struggling to cope with the impact of the economic downturn, this will not be an easy task, but the Committee of the Regions urges all sub-national levels of government to make the effort to invest in the fight against climate change – a small price to pay when the future of our planet is at stake.“ the President emphasised. .”
At a special event organised by the Committee of the Regions in the margins of the Copenhagen conference , Van den Brande reiterated the CoR’s commitment to work more closely with sub-national authorities in other countries on this issue. Early in 2010 the EU’s Covenant of Mayors, in which the CoR is heavily involved, will sign a formal agreement with the US Conference of Mayors to exchange best practice and create a ‘green twinning’ programme between cities on both sides of the Atlantic. “After the half success of the Copenhagen conference, regions and local authorities have to go international themselves now. We plan to take the initiative and propose its extension to other partners all over the world, be it in highly industrialised or in developing countries. By combining our efforts, we will be able to achieve significant CO2 emission reductions and assume our responsibility in the fight against climate change, regardless of the outcome of the COP 15,” Van den Brande said.
Elizabeth Kautz, Vice-President of the US Conference of Mayors, added: “Despite the lack of action in 2005 by our government, US mayors moved forward. In effect, the mayors of the United States signed the Kyoto Protocol themselves and have pressured the Congress and the President to recognise how critical action is on climate protection to save the planet. Mrs Kautz also referred to the strong opposition international climate deals usually face within the US Senate and said: ”Our organisation will bring its strength to bear upon US Senators and push them hard. Together, the Committee of the Regions and the U.S. Conference of Mayors are making a difference.“
tThe CoR President also underlined the commitment of the Committee of the Regions to work with sub-national authorities in the developing world to ensure that the funding commitments made in Copenhagen are translated into real action. ”The Copenhagen Accord on funding to help developing countries reduce their emissions is of course a huge step forward, but simply giving the money is not good enough. There must also be real cooperation on the ground, at the level where the money will be spent, to ensure that it is invested effectively.“ Through its commitment to decentralised cooperation, the CoR is best placed to facilitate this exchange of best practice between local and regional authorities in the EU and the developing world, a process that began earlier in December with the first ‘assises’ of decentralised cooperation in Brussels. The Committee is determined to carry on this good work and will ensure that the fight against climate change remains centre stage in the EU's development policy and that the Copenhagen objectives are fulfilled in Europe and our partner countries.”
Notes for editors
Click here for photos of the Copenhagen event. The CoR's video message to the UN climate change conference can be found here (hosted on Youtube, also available in broadcast quality on demand).
The CoR’s event in Copenhagen was supported by a wide variety of local and regional associations from across the world whose members are actively involved in local climate change action, including the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Assembly of European Regions, EUROCITIES, Energie-Cités and the NRG4SD network.
A new climate change monitoring platform created by the CoR will facilitate exchange of best practice between the signatories of the Covenant of Mayors and their counterparts elsewhere in the world. The platform will allow regions and cities to share their experiences in a wide range of climate change-related activities. The first phase of the project will begin in 2010 with the publication of a directory of best practices in the field of sustainable energy.