Heading to COP23: non-state actors set up a sustainable future

Irma. Harvey. Maria… These hurricanes are a catastrophic but obvious demonstration of climate impact in our towns and cities. At the Climate Chance Summit in Agadir, from 11 to 13 September, non-state actors gathered to strengthen their advocacy efforts ahead of COP23.

(This article was initially published on CEMR website)

As the spotlight starts to turn towards Bonn, which will host the next United Nations’ Conference on Climate Change (COP23) in November, how can towns and cities act to make a difference on the ground? Which messages should we bring to Bonn? Here are a few answers:

One way to act is to join the very successful Covenant of mayors: an alliance of cities committed to reduce their CO2 emissions and to fight climate change. The Agadir summit was an opportunity to shed light on the Covenant of Mayors for Sub-Saharan Africa and to invite African mayors to join the initiative for a more sustainable future. To find out more, listen to RFI’s radio program, “C’est pas du vent”, in which CEMR secretary general Frédéric Vallier and UCLG-Africa secretary general Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi took part (in French).

The circular economy is an important tool to preserve the planet’s resources and the climate. Despite the advantages it brings in terms of limiting climate impact, boosting growth and creating jobs, its potential is too often underexploited or unknown. For this reason, we are launching a call to step up the European Week for Waste Reduction and make it a global week. We also invite you to discover CEMR infographic: “Moving towards a circular economy: reducing climate change impact.”

Harmonising the assessment systems of the circular economy is also necessary. There are currently many methodologies that aim to ensure a qualitative and quantitative follow-up of its development. Bonn will be an opportunity to raise awareness among the different players about the need to harmonise the most relevant indicators and necessary tools to assess the impact of the circular economy on CO2 reduction. We firmly believe that it is a priority to systematically integrate greenhouse gas reduction in the assessment of circular economy initiatives.

Also read

• CEMR’s 5 messages, “Municipalities and regions advancing towards decarbonised societies”, established during the Agadir Climate Chance summit.