Climate Action 2017-2018

Credit: Flickr
POLICY
Mike Bloomberg visits Brussels to meet
with the Global Covenant of Mayors
ambitious green agendas; business and
technology leaders, who drove down the
cost of alternative energy (both natural
gas and renewables), invested in energy
efficiency, and committed themselves to
clean energy targets; and consumers,
who led the way in shutting down nearly
half of the US coal-fired power plants.
In the wake of the President’s
announcement last June, each of these
groups came forward to re-affirm its
support for the Paris agreement. Each
recognises that it is in its own best interest
to act, and the President’s decision has
had the event of galvanising each to do
more. To build on that momentum, and
to show the world that Americans are
determined to continue leading on climate
change, California Governor Jerry Brown
and I created America’s Pledge – an
initiative to compile, quantify and track
America’s efforts to dramatically reduce
the nation’s carbon footprint.
With this data, we will create a
comprehensive report that can be
compared to the Nationally Determined
Contributions that every other nation
submitted as part of the Paris Agreement.
These reports will be made available to
the UN and all the parties to the Paris
Agreement – so that the world can still
hold America accountable for meeting
our targets.
But America’s Pledge will do more
than report on our progress. It will also
empower climate leaders to be even
more ambitious, by offering guidance that
can help cities and companies finance
green infrastructure while creating new
jobs. It will also provide ideas on ways
mayors and business leaders can make
their cities more resilient to the climate
impacts we know are coming. And it will
help local officials develop policies that
encourage investment in clean energy.
When it
comes to climate
action in America,
Washington will
not have the last
word.
All around the world, cities, regions,
businesses, and citizens are taking a
leading role in fighting climate change
– and that is as it should be. Cities are
responsible for about 70 per cent of all
greenhouse gas emissions. One of the
best ways that national governments can
fight climate change is to empower cities
with greater authority over their buildings,
energy sources and transport networks –
and to help them access capital that can
be used to finance investments in greener
and cleaner infrastructure.
Local leaders are acting because
reducing emissions is not only good
for the climate; it is also good for our
health. When local governments clean
their air, and when they invest in mass
transit and parks, they make themselves
more attractive places to live. And where
people want to live, businesses want to
invest. The future belongs to cities that
embrace that idea.
Ultimately, winning the war on climate
change requires leadership from all
nations, but it is important to remember
that leadership is not confined to national
capitals. In many countries, including
the US, success will be driven from the
ground up.
29