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The most recent report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change (Ipcc) is cold in the back : we need to redouble our efforts if we are to avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change. If we maintain our current trajectory, global temperatures will increase 3 ° C by 2100, which will affect our biodiversity and result in difficult meteorological conditions, affecting millions of people around the world. The reality is that we are far from achieving the goal of the Paris agreement aiming to keep global warming below 2 ºC.
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The COP 24 to Katowice will allow us to accelerate our efforts in consolidating, first of all, our commitments, through the creation of a corpus of robust regulatory and financing the fight against climate change and, secondly, our partnerships, so that we can create a global governance that is more inclusive, involving all levels of government, civil society and businesses.
A need for more ambition
At a time when the national interests prevail over the international obligations, we need more ambition. The european Union has committed to reduce by 2050 the emissions of greenhouse gases by 80% compared to 1990 levels and has recently proposed a long-term strategy to become carbon-neutral by 2050, what our Committee – the EU’s assembly of the 350 communities local and regional calls since 2015. This is the required target, according to the report of the Ipcc, to keep warming temperatures below 1.5 ºC.
lavish profits
local and regional leaders share the view that greening our economies, clean up our air, make our homes energy efficient and ensure a sustainable supply of healthy foods is not only a good idea for the environment, but also for businesses. The recent report on the new economy of the climate believes that bold action to combat climate change could generate at least 26.000 USD billion in economic benefits globally by 2030.
A movement which extends
cities and regions are rolling up their sleeves for a long time : this year we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Convention of mayors of the EU, an initiative within the framework of which local and regional authorities voluntarily agree to exceed the climate and energy objectives of the Union. Today, more than 7,500 cities and towns, large and small, have joined this upward movement which is now spreading on a global scale.
407 belgian municipalities have already signed the Convention, which represents 99 % of the population. Because of this, Belgium has the third highest number of support for the Convention among all the EU countries just behind Italy and Spain. At the subnational level, the innovation and the ambition to continue to advance the global agenda for the climate.
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However, if the role of local and regional authorities has been recognized in Paris, we have not made sufficient progress in the creation of a global system of climate governance truly inclusive. The presidency fijian of the COP held last year has opened doors to allow local and regional authorities, civil society and businesses to make their voices heard within the framework of the un process in favour of the climate. This dialogue Talanoa should be not only continued, but also strengthened, as it has demonstrated that by promoting inclusion, we can increase our ambitions. This process is essential in order for the COP 24 is a success.
to Help poor countries
We need a regulatory corpus that is honest, realistic and transparent in terms of climate, in order to monitor the emissions of greenhouse gases, to give an account of the efforts in the fight against climate change and to record the amount of resources that industrialized countries provide to poorer countries to help them reduce their emissions and adapt to global temperatures warmer. This approach is essential, and we should encourage all cities and regions of the world to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals, by actively participating in the un platform for cities that are pioneers in the implementation of the SDGS (and SDG Cities Leadership Platform) and other similar initiatives.
to Construct the scales of contributions
It is high time, therefore, to establish the “contributions based on local and regional levels” in addition to ” defined contributions at the national level “, in order to show that it is the responsibility of us all to act in favour of the climate and maintain the motivation of the local and regional level. We get closer and the aim to bridge the gap between the current commitments of the parties and the levels of reduction in CO2 emissions necessary to reverse the course of global warming.
Evaluate the contributions of everyone means also assist the regions and cities that are lagging behind. The industrialised countries must meet their financial commitments to support countries and regions the most vulnerable and those in development.
more jobs
In Europe, many regions long-term dependency on coal and in need of help to make the transition to an economy with low carbon. The european Commission considers that the extraction of coal provides 185.000 direct jobs in the 12 member States of the EU, but says that it will be possible to create 900.000 jobs by the end of the next decade in areas such as renewable energy.
Make the economies more robust
The transition to a low-carbon economy requires careful planning, technical support and regional investments to ensure the protection of regional economies. In Europe, we need to strengthen the co-creation of the environmental policy of the EU, which is an area of jurisdiction of local and regional authorities. It is necessary to intensify the regional investments of the EU – the so-called cohesion policy – and not to weaken, so that regions and cities can mitigate climate change, adapt to it and make their economies resilient in the face of this phenomenon.
local communities ambitious
The negotiations this year in Katowice are essential to lay the foundations of a corpus of robust regulatory in order to avoid that the temperature increases do not exceed 1,5 ºC. The slogan of the Polish presidency to the COP 24 is “Changing together” (united for change) : with enough courage, political will and considerable effort on our part at all, we can achieve it. This involves transforming our governance of the global climate so as to allow formally for the local and regional authorities to sit at the negotiating table, in order to bridge the gap between commitments and concrete achievements in the fight against climate change.
local and regional authorities are showing ambition in the implementation of the climate action. Time is running out, the world is watching us and we need to do more, faster, all together.
