If nations do not want to fail in Copenhagen, they must raise their climate mitigation ambition and partner with other levels of government. Local governments’ advocacy efforts to be recognised as essential partners to Parties in the next global agreement on climate change gradually proves successful at the Bangkok Climate Talks between 28 September and 9 October 2009, amid fears of a break-down of global consensus made in Bali in 2007.Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, October 9, 2009 – “Truly effective action to mitigate and to adapt to climate change must include the participation of local government authorities in a post-2012 agreement at the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP 15) meeting in Copenhagen” ICLEI and UCLG jointly said again in Bangkok when attending the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Climate Change Talks there. At the UN Bangkok Climate Talks, developing countries raised serious concerns that developed countries seek to end the Kyoto Protocol without guaranteeing ambitious emission reduction commitments in the post-2012 period.
“It occurs to us that there is a perception in current negotiations that a high level of ambition to reduce emissions in the short and medium term, in particular, in Annex 1 nations in the Kyoto Protocol may not be achievable or realistic” said Gino Van Begin, ICLEI Deputy Secretary General at UN in Bangkok.However, since 1990, local voluntary climate actions in such countries as well as in developing countries have shown that a considerable amount of emissions reduction can be achieved in buildings, transport, waste, energy and in the way we plan our urban areas. Similarly, thousands of cities and local governments, located in particular in Annex-I nations are committed to ambitious emissions reduction targets until 2020, 2030 and 2050. “Cities and local governments in Annex-I nations can thus successfully support their nations in fulfilling new international binding commitments in the post-2012 period. In return, the new global climate regime, must create enabling technical and financial conditions to utilize the full potential of cities and local governments in particular in mitigation action”, said Gino Van Begin.We are very encouraged to see that since Bali, both developed and developing countries recognize the importance of partnerships between all levels of government. We are encouraged by the fact that the current negotiating proposals from a large number of Parties share this vision. We believe this vision is helping to build the much needed trust between Parties on the way to Copenhagen, said Gino Van Begin. “It is not possible to save the planet without the mobilisation and participation of cities and local governments”, said Ronan Dantec, the Deputy Mayor of Nantes speaking on behalf of the United Cities and Local governments (UCLG) and a member of the Local Government Climate Roadmap partnership.”How people move, heat, and build are indeed very much determined by local authority decisions. Fifty per cent of the world´s population lives in cities and consumes 73 per cent of the globe´s energy. It would be incredulous if we do not include the role of local government in the final text of the Copenhagen meeting.” “For 15 years, cities have been taking voluntary action to combat climate change. They are now taking a step further by committing to ambitious targets: a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 60 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050 globally, with industrialised countries to commit to 80 per cent greenhouse gas reductions from 1990 levels, as part of the “World Mayors and Local Government Climate Agreement”, said Ronan Dantec. “Local governments and cities have proven themselves to be true climate action torchbearers. They have long been working to mitigate emissions despite the fact that the Kyoto Protocol did not mention the role of local governments in climate”, said Ronan Dantec. The Local Governments Climate Roadmap process mirrors the “UN Climate Roadmap” initiated at the UNFCCC Climate Change Talks in Bali in December 2007. It is facilitated by ICLEI and includes ICLEI, UCLG, the C40 Climate Leadership Group, the World Mayors Council on Climate Change and Metropolis. ICLEI acts as the Constituency Focal Point to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change for Local Governments and Municipal Authorities. ICLEI will host and facilitate the Local Government Climate Lounge in the UN COP 15 Conference building in Copenhagen. (www.iclei.org/climate-roadmap/cop15)
