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Cities and regions in Copenhagen: ready to take on climate challenge
18.12.2009, 13:33
15.12.2009 - The EU Committee of the Regions (CoR) will hold a major
event in the margins of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen
on 16 December focusing on the issue of "Mobilising citizens: regions
and cities working together for climate protection". The event will
also be an occasion to further strengthen relations between European
and US mayors in the field of climate action.
The CoR event will feature a wide-range of high level speakers representing both the EU and local and regional levels. The three senior members of the CoR who are part of the official EU delegation to the Copenhagen summit - President Luc Van den Brande, 1st Vice-President Michel Delebarre and Jerzy Zaj±ka³a, chair of the CoR's sustainable development commission which deals with the political response of local and regional government to the issue of climate change - will all take part, highlighting the role of the CoR in particular in emphasising the need for local and regional involvement in the climate change policies.
The Committee of the Regions, through its support for the EU's Covenant of Mayors initiative, has pledged to act as a forum for the exchange of best practice between regions and cities looking to reduce their carbon footprints, and it is in this spirit that the keynote address of the conference will be delivered by the Vice-President of the US Conference of Mayors Elizabeth B. Kautz, who will explain how the mayors of major US cities pledged to reduce their carbon footprint as a response to the failure of the US national government to sign the Kyoto Protocol on limiting climate change.
Reflecting the EU's determination to speak with one voice in Copenhagen, the event will also feature high-level participants from the EU institutions: Stavros Dimas, EU Environment Commissioner, and MEP Linda McAvan, representing the European Parliament's Environment Committee, as well as Simon Brooks, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, who will discuss not only the need for a unified strategy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also the various funding opportunities that are available to allow local and regional authorities to play their part.
Several CoR members responsible for drawing up the Committee's position on issues as varied as adapting to climate change, developing renewable energy sources or improving the energy efficiency of buildings, will participate in the event. The widespread involvement of local and regional authorities in many climate change-related policies is discussed in more detail here. Representatives from many of Europe's associations of local authorities, regions and cities will also contribute by sharing their own climate change adaptation and mitigation experiences.
More details about the event, which will take place in the Schuman Room of the EU Pavilion within the Bella Center, the home of the UN climate change talks, can be found here.
Source: www.cor.europa.eu