Santa Monica Mayor Kevin McKeown announced today that Santa Monica’s participation in the Compact of Mayors has already had a significant impact: that the more than 360 city commitments made through the Compact of Mayors (as of Nov. 23, 2015) would realize over 50 percent of the 2020 global potential for urban GHG emissions reductions.
“This amazing number proves that Compact of Mayors cities are leading the fight against climate change in every region across the globe,” said Mayor McKeown. “Over the last 20 years, local governments have demonstrated accelerating leadership in tackling climate change, and today, the collective impact of this action has finally been quantified. Thanks to the leadership of Santa Monica and our Compact friends around the world, local governments are spurring greater ambition and action to create a pathway for a better future.”
This announcement came while Mayor McKeown participated in the Climate Summit for Local Leaders as part of the Compact of Mayors, the global coalition of city leaders dedicated to taking climate action. Mayor McKeown met with other cities and mayors to demonstrate their commitment to making communities more resilient to climate change, reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and regularly reporting their progress publicly.
Hosted by Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of the City of Paris, and Michael R. Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change—in partnership with the global networks of cities and local governments—the Climate Summit for Local Leaders was the largest global convening of mayors, governors and local leaders focused on climate change.
As one of the key initiatives launched at the UN Climate Summit in September of 2014 by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael R. Bloomberg, the Compact of Mayors is the world’s largest global collective effort to date by cities to tackle climate change, proactively prepare for its impacts, and regularly track and report progress.
The Compact was activated under the leadership of the global city networks—C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)—and with support from UN-Habitat, the UN’s lead agency on urban issues.
“The Compact of Mayors reflects the commitment that cities are making to reduce carbon emissions and the crucial role they play in confronting climate change,” said Bloomberg. “The more cities that take part in the Compact, the bigger impact it will have. I applaud all of the mayors who have joined, and look forward to welcoming more cities into our growing coalition.”
Visit www.compactofmayors.org to learn more about the Compact of Mayors.
