Sustainable Magazine 11th Issue

In 2015, the United Nations (UN) COP21 Climate Meeting was held in Paris. In order to emphasize the
importance of cities in the climate struggle, Paris Mayor Ann Hidalgo organized the “Climate Summit
for Local Managers” on the same dates. With the participation of over 400 mayors from around the
world, it was the largest meeting with local authorities on the topic of climate. This meeting, where
solutions and targets were discussed, was a first. At the meeting, besides the Paris Climate
Agreement in COP21, it was decided to formally include cities in future meetings.
After the COP21 meeting, Hidalgo mobilized the Municipality of Paris on the climate issue and the
carbon footprint of Paris was calculated using 2014 data. When the sources of greenhouse gas
emissions of Paris are examined, it is seen that approximately 30% originates from the Municipality of
Paris; 5% from municipal buildings and vehicles; 25% is from the decisions taken by the municipality.
Over 70% of emissions were not controlled by the municipality. Therefore, while developing the Climate
Action Plan, it was necessary to include those responsible for 70% of emissions. More than 700
stakeholders participated in the five-month climate action plan process. 30 workshops and more than
100 meetings were held on transportation, waste, air quality, and similar issues. What can be done to
slow down global warming was discussed at length in the City Council. An online platform called “Ms.
President, I Have an Idea” was established and hundreds of suggestions were collected from the public
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the end of the process, the Climate Action Plan was first voted
and accepted by the Municipal Assembly. The plan was then presented to the public and received 96%
support in the popular vote. Another 15,000 people signed up as “climate workers”.
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