LONDON: Mayors from 30 European towns and cities, including London and Bristol, have pledged to curb their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2030, and boost investment in clean technologies.
During a summit organised by the city of Paris yesterday, mayors of Rome, Athens, Amsterdam and Dublin, among others, adopted a declaration that pledges to meet the post-2020 climate and energy goals set by the European Union.
Paris hosted the meeting yesterday as part of its efforts to build momentum for the COP 21 United Nations conference that it will host in December, where world leaders are expected to sign a global deal on climate change that is due to come into force in 2020.
Half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and this is expected to rise to two thirds in 2050, with cities contributing 70 per cent of global CO2 emissions at that point. With many major urban areas located near coasts, cities also tend to be vulnerable to the worst impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels and heavy rainfall.
