Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy

Last updated

Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy
AbbreviationGCoM
Founded22 June 2016, Brussels

Predecessors:
23 September 2014, NYC (Compact of Mayors)
2008 (EU's Covenant of Mayors)
Type International organization
Focus Climate change
Area served
Participating member cities
MethodEmissions reduction & reporting guidance; standardized climate risk analysis; public reporting of local climate impact
Key people
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (Co-founder)
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Co-founder)
Mayor Eduardo Paes (Chair, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group)
Mayor Kadir Topbaş (President, United Cities and Local Governments)
Mayor Anne Hidalgo (Co-President, United Cities and Local Governments)
Mayor Ashok-Alexander Sridharan (President of ICLEI)
Dr. Joan Clos (Executive Director of United Nations Human Settlements Programme)
Website www.globalcovenantofmayors.org
European cities going green European cities going green.jpg
European cities going green

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) was established in 2016 by bringing formally together the Compact of Mayors and the European Union's Covenant of Mayors. It is a global coalition of city leaders addressing climate change by pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the future impacts of climate change. [1] The Compact highlights cities' climate impact while measuring their relative risk levels and carbon pollution. The Compact of Mayors seeks to show the importance of city climate action, both at the local level and around the world. [2] The Compact was launched in 2014 by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change. [3] The Compact represents a common effort from global city networks C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), ICLEI, and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), as well as UN-Habitat, to unite against climate change. [4] 12,500 cities and local governments have committed to the Compact of Mayors. These cities hail from 6 continents and 144 countries. In total, they represent more than 1 billion people. [5]

Contents

History

The Compact of Mayors was launched by Ban Ki-moon and Mike Bloomberg on 23 September 2014 at the UN Climate Summit 2014. [6] The announcement detailed a commitment by 228 cities to cut up to 13 gigatons of carbon emissions by 2050. Mayors Eduardo Paes of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Anne Hidalgo of Paris, France and Park Won-soon of Seoul, South Korea joined in the announcement, representing C40, UCLG, and ICLEI. [7] UN-Habitat provided additional support and oversight for the launch of the Compact.

On 8 December 2014, World Resources Institute, C40 Cities, and ICLEI revealed the Global Protocol for Community Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC), identified as the first set of standardized global rules for cities to measure and publicly report their carbon pollution emissions. This standard is the baseline on which Compact of Mayors was founded. [8]

At the C40 Latin American Mayors Summit on 27 March 2015, Compact of Mayors officials launched the first public recruiting effort, receiving commitments from twenty Latin American mayors to join the Compact and accelerate their push toward low-carbon economies. [9] On 30 June 2015, Mike Bloomberg and Mayor Anne Hidalgo jointly announced their plans to host a Climate Summit for Local Leaders on 4 December at Paris City Hall. [10] The summit will convene mayors from around the world at the COP21 climate negotiations and build upon existing climate commitments under the Compact of Mayors. [11]

At the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas on 24 August 2015, President Barack Obama challenged 100 cities to commit to the Compact of Mayors as part of a larger push to advance clean energy across the United States. [12] Rio de Janeiro became the first city to achieve full compliance with the Compact on 26 August 2015. [13]

Vice President of the United States Joe Biden called out the success of the Compact of Mayors in promoting action against climate change during his address at the US-China Climate Leadership Summit in Los Angeles on 15 September 2015. [14] Later that month, on 28 September 2015, Mike Bloomberg announced the launch of a new parent organization combining the efforts of the Compact of Mayors and the Compact of States and Regions at NYC Climate Week. [15]

Vice President Biden also cited the success of the Compact of Mayors while speaking on 5 November 2015 at the National League of Cities Congress of Cities in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. [16] On 20 November 2015, the Compact of Mayors was recognized by the White House for exceeding 100 U.S. member cities prior to the COP 21 climate negotiations in Paris. [17]

Mayors and other leaders of hundreds of cities committed to the Compact of Mayors attended the Climate Summit for Local Leaders at Paris City Hall on 4 December 2015 during COP21. [11] At the Climate Summit for Local Leaders, Leonardo DiCaprio welcomed climate action commitments made by 392 cities under the Compact of Mayors, and he urged the local leaders in attendance to do more to fight climate change. [18]

Following the Climate Summit, 428 global cities had committed to the Compact of Mayors, representing over 376 million people worldwide. [19]

The Compact of Mayors officially merged with the Covenant of Mayors on 22 June 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. The newly created Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy unites more than 7,100 cities in 119 countries across six continents in the shared goal of fighting climate change through coordinated local climate action. The initiative represents more than 600 million residents, or more than 8 percent of the world's population. [20] [21] [22] As of March 2024, the commitment has expanded to include over 12,500 cities and local governments. These cities hail from 6 continents and 144 countries. In total, they represent more than 1 billion people. [23]

Leadership

The Compact of Mayors was launched by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Mike Bloomberg. The organization receives oversight from ICLEI, United Cities and Local Governments, and C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. UN-Habitat has provided founding and operational support. Mayor Eduardo Paes of Rio de Janeiro currently serves as the chairperson of C40 Cities, [24] while Mayor Kadir Topbas of Istanbul, Turkey [25] and Mayor Anne Hidalgo of Paris, France currently serve as president and co-president of United Cities and Local Governments. [26] Mayor Ashok-Alexander Sridharan of Bonn, Germany is the current president of ICLEI, [27] and Ms Maimunah Mohd Sharif serves as the current Executive Director of UN-Habitat. [28] Mayor Nanda Jichkar of Nagpur, India is a board member of Global Covenant of Mayors. [29]

Controversy

In 2020, the Covenant received international condemnation for bowing to Chinese pressure and updating the six member cities in Taiwan from their original designation as being cities in "Chinese Taipei" to cities in "China". Taiwanese premier Su Tseng-chang criticized the changes as "extremely improper". [30] The decision was reversed a few days later with assistance from the European Union. [31] Foreign Minister of Taiwan Joseph Wu said “We are happy to learn that they have changed our name back to the original title". [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Bloomberg</span> American businessman and politician (born 1942)

Michael Rubens Bloomberg is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the mayor of New York City for three terms from 2002 to 2013 and was a candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president of the United States. He has served as chair of the Defense Innovation Board, an independent advisory board that provides recommendations on artificial intelligence, software, data and digital modernization to the United States Department of Defense, since June 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agenda 21</span> Decision Taken Rio Summit, 1992

Agenda 21 is a non-binding action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development. It is a product of the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. It is an action agenda for the UN, other multilateral organizations, and individual governments around the world that can be executed at local, national, and global levels. One major objective of the Agenda 21 initiative is that every local government should draw its own local Agenda 21. Its aim initially was to achieve global sustainable development by 2000, with the "21" in Agenda 21 referring to the original target of the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Global Compact</span> Non-binding United Nations pact

The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to get businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiative, with more than 20,000 corporate participants and other stakeholders in over 167 countries. The organization consists of a global agency, and local "networks" or agencies for each participating country. Under the Global Compact, companies are brought together with UN agencies, labor groups and civil society.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1977 as an outcome of the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development held in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976. UN-Habitat maintains its headquarters at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya. It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. It is a member of the United Nations Development Group. The mandate of UN-Habitat derives from the Habitat Agenda, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996. The twin goals of the Habitat Agenda are adequate shelter for all and the development of sustainable human settlements in an urbanizing world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ICLEI</span> International sustainability organization

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is an international non-governmental organization that promotes sustainable development. ICLEI provides technical consulting to local governments to identify and meet sustainability objectives. It has a strong focus on biodiversity and has worked across local, national, and global levels. ICLEI was the first and is the largest transnational network of local governments engaging in climate action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group</span> Climate change organization

C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is a group of 96 cities around the world that represents one twelfth of the world's population and one quarter of the global economy. Created and led by cities, C40 is focused on fighting the climate crisis and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Cities and Local Governments</span> Organization for cities, local and regional governments

United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is an umbrella international organisation for cities, local and regional governments, and municipal associations throughout the world that is concerned with representing and defending the interests of local governments on the world stage.

The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) is a global local government organisation, bringing together local authorities, their national associations and the ministries responsible for local government in the member countries of the Commonwealth. CLGF works with national and local governments to support the development of democratic values and good local governance and is the associated organisation officially recognised by Commonwealth Heads of Government as the representative body for local government in the Commonwealth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture 21</span>

Culture 21, also known as Agenda 21 for culture, is a program for cultural governance developed in 2002–2004 and organized by United Cities and Local Governments.

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group’s Climate Positive Development Program (Climate Positive) was launched in May 2009 in partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative and the U.S. Green Building Council. The program brings together leading district-scale new-build and regeneration projects working to achieve "Climate Positive"—or net carbon negative—outcomes in cities around the world. As part of the C40’s Sustainable Communities Initiative, it aims to create a model for large-scale urban communities and to support projects that serve as urban laboratories for cities seeking to grow in ways that are environmentally sustainable, climate resilient, and economically viable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference</span> Diplomatic summit resulting in the Paris Agreement

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris, France, from 30 November to 12 December 2015. It was the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP) to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

The Climate Summit 2014 was a meeting on climate change in New York on September 23, 2014. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced it in September 2013 and invited leaders of governments, the private sector, and civil society to unite in taking concrete action towards a low-carbon emission world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauricio Rodas</span> Ecuadorian politician

Mauricio Esteban Rodas Espinel is an Ecuadorian lawyer, social policy consultant, and politician who served as the Metropolitan Mayor of Quito between May 2014 and May 2019. After working in other Latin American cities, including Mexico City, he returned to Ecuador to enter politics. He founded the SUMA party, and was the youngest person every to be elected as Mayor of Quito.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cities Alliance</span>

Cities Alliance is a global partnership fighting urban poverty and supporting cities to deliver sustainable development. To manage its activities, the Cities Alliance operates a multi-donor fund with UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), as host and trustee. Different members provide direction, financing and advocacy. Cities Alliance aims to deliver solutions to urban poverty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanda Jichkar</span> Nagpur Mayor

Nanda Jichkar is an Indian politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities</span>

United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) is a committee of local authorities that serves as an advisory body to United Nations System for the purpose of strengthening the dialogue with local authorities from all over the world involved in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable Development Goal 11</span> 11th of 17 Sustainable Development Goals for sustainable cities

Sustainable Development Goal 11, titled "sustainable cities and communities", is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The official mission of SDG 11 is to "Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". The 17 SDGs take into account that action in one area will affect outcomes in other areas as well, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Goals Week</span> Event for awareness for Sustainable Development Goals

Global Goals Week is a shared commitment between a coalition of over 160 partners across all industries, which mobilizes annually in September to bring together communities, demand urgency, and supercharge solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was founded in 2016 by the United Nations Foundation, Project Everyone, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It is timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly "High-Level Week" in New York. The week includes events, summits, conferences, forums, workshops, pledges, and other activations in New York, around the world, and online. It usually runs alongside Climate Week NYC, the annual conference of Goalkeepers, Bloomberg Global Business Forum and many other high-level events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change and cities</span>

Climate change and cities are deeply connected. Cities are one of the greatest contributors and likely best opportunities for addressing climate change. Cities are also one of the most vulnerable parts of the human society to the effects of climate change, and likely one of the most important solutions for reducing the environmental impact of humans. The UN projects that 68% of the world population will live in urban areas by 2050. In the year 2016, 31 mega-cities reported having at least 10 million in their population, 8 of which surpassed 20 million people. However, secondary cities - small to medium size cities are rapidly increasing in number and are some of the fastest growing urbanizing areas in the world further contributing to climate change impacts. Cities have a significant influence on construction and transportation—two of the key contributors to global warming emissions. Moreover, because of processes that create climate conflict and climate refugees, city areas are expected to grow during the next several decades, stressing infrastructure and concentrating more impoverished peoples in cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selina Leem</span> Marshallese climate activist and spoken word performer

Selina Neirok Leem is a climate change activist and spoken word performer from the Marshall Islands. She was the youngest speaker at COP21 and has also spoken at COP26, making a "passionate plea" to world leaders for increased action on addressing climate change. Selina just recently became a TED speaker at the 2021 TED countdown summit.

References

  1. ↑ Barron-Lopez, Laura. "UN launches global mayors network to fight climate change". TheHill. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "History - Compact of Mayors". Compact of Mayors. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "Cities are lapping countries on climate action". Grist. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "New alliance on city finance unveiled at UN Summit on climate change | Cities Today - Connecting the world's urban leaders". cities-today.com. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Who we are". Global Covenant of Mayors. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  6. ↑ "Cities Will Solve Climate Change, Not Nations". www.scientificamerican.com. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Bloomberg presents city-centric climate report to U.N." www.capitalnewyork.com. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  8. ↑ "Cities Take Lead on Tackling Climate Change". EcoWatch. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  9. ↑ "Latin American Mayors Avow Clean Bus Transit". CleanTechnica . Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "Why Cities Will Be Vital Players at Paris Climate Talks". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  11. 1 2 Schapiro, Mark (15 November 2015). "COP21: Cities Move to Climate Talks' Center Stage". Newsweek. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "FACT SHEET: President Obama Announces New Actions to Bring Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency to Households across the Country". whitehouse.gov . Retrieved 9 December 2015– via National Archives.
  13. ↑ "Rio, first city to fully comply, Compact of Mayors". cities-today.com. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  14. ↑ "Vice President Joe Biden Discusses Local Climate Action at U.S.-China Climate Leaders Summit". YouTube. Compact of Mayors. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  15. ↑ Worl, Justin. "Why Cities Are the Next Frontier in the Fight Against Climate Change". Time . Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  16. ↑ "Vice President Biden calls on more U.S. cities to commit to the Compact of Mayors". National Geographic (blogs). Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  17. ↑ "A Major Milestone for President Obama's Climate Agenda". whitehouse.gov . Retrieved 23 November 2015– via National Archives.
  18. ↑ "DiCaprio Warns Time Is Running Out On Climate Change". The Huffington Post UK. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  19. ↑ "Compact of Mayors". Compact of Mayors. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  20. ↑ "Mayors from 7,100 cities forge world's largest alliance to curb climate change" . Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  21. ↑ Orttung, Nicole (24 June 2016). "Why cities are forming a global alliance to curb climate change". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN   0882-7729 . Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  22. ↑ "7,100 Cities From 119 Countries Join Together in Historic Collaboration to Accelerate Climate Action". EcoWatch. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  23. ↑ "Who we are". Global Covenant of Mayors. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  24. ↑ "World Mayors Lead by Example on Climate Action, Provides Hope for Binding Agreement at COP21". EcoWatch. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  25. ↑ "[UCLG] | [United Cities and Local Governments]". www.uclg.org. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  26. ↑ "Ten global cities, climate plans, COP21 | Cities Today - Connecting the world's urban leaders". cities-today.com. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  27. ↑ "Mayor Ashok Sridharan of Bonn elected ICLEI President". ICLEI. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  28. ↑ "Draft Habitat III rules clarify role of local authorities, civil society | Citiscope". citiscope.org. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  29. ↑ "South Asia". Global Covenant of Mayors. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  30. ↑ Blanchard, Ben (27 September 2020). "'Taiwan is Taiwan': China name dispute moves from birds to climate change". Reuters. Taipei. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  31. ↑ "With EU help, Taiwan gets rare win in China naming dispute". Reuters. Taipei. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  32. ↑ "Global climate group lets Taiwan keep Chinese-Taipei name, a win over China's demands". South China Morning Post. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.