Climate change and urban leadership

Climate change and urban leadership
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This article originally appeared in the Spanish newspaper El Pais, co - authored by Antoni Gutiérrez-Rubí

Negotiators, acting on behalf of G20 leaders, ultimately reached agreement on a joint communique following the recent Summit in Hamburg. Reports of negotiations continuing to the early hours of the final day, reveal the divisions that now exist amongst the world’s richest nations on many of the world’s most pressing issues. In particular, the issue of climate change has created a clear gulf between the United States and the other ‘G19’ nations. Whilst President Trump has declared his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the other 19 world leaders present in Hamburg called the Paris Agreement “irreversible”.

On April 24th, the world lost the urban philosopher, activist and visionary Benjamin Barber. In his book, If Mayors Ruled the World, he identified the inability of nation states to tackle the most perilous challenges of our time—climate change, terrorism, poverty, and trafficking of drugs, guns, and people. He wrote, “The problems are too big, entrenched, and divisive for the nation state.” According to Barber’s analysis, we must instead look to cities, and the mayors that run them to deliver. The evidence across a range of issues, but in particular on climate change, is that he was right.

The C40 cities network brings together 91 one of the world’s great cities committed to urgent action on climate change. By working together, sharing ideas and driving mutual ambition, cities are slashing their greenhouse gas emissions and helping to deliver on the ambition of the Paris Agreement. Madrid and Barcelona are amongst the most active cities within C40, leading across a range of issues, including how cities will adapt to the effects of a warming climate. Madrid’s plans to deal with rising temperatures by greening its buildings and expanding the amount of green space across the city, is being studied by mayors around the world. Barcelona’s Compromis pel Clima (Commitment to the Climate) is signed by more than 800 civic entities in Barcelona - a model for community engagement when cities develop their climate action plans.

Photo by Igor Ovsyannykov

Crucially, the influence of cities, where more than half of the world’s population now live, and 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are created, is being felt on the global stage. When President Trump announced that he would withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, it was the mayors of US cities who responded most swiftly and effectively to condemn the decision. Over 350 have now joined together to assert their own commitment to climate action, partnering with governors and business leaders to make ‘America’s Pledge’ to still deliver the USA’s commitment under the Paris Agreement. In Spain, Madrid & Barcelona are already key stakeholders and contributors to Spain’s Climate Change law that is currently being drafted by ministers.

Ahead of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, 52 mayors, including Mayor Carmena and Mayor Colau, representing 275 million citizens worldwide, signed a joint statement calling on G20 leaders “to deliver on your commitments to tackle climate change.” The statement was supported by a global petition, signed by more than 60,000 people, which urged “we must all work together to save the planet.” There is no longer any doubt that mayors of the world’s great cities are committed to the urgent action needed to tackle climate change. They are forming powerful coalitions with businesses, citizens and other cities, to deliver on the ambition of the Paris Agreement. It is encouraging that President Trump failed in his attempt to stall inter-governmental commitment on climate change. Yet it is now much more likely that mayors and governors, rather than presidents and prime ministers, will lead in delivering the radical policies necessary to secure a prosperous sustainable future.

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