The Hague, November 14, 2017 – As politicians and activists meet together for the COP23 summit in Bonn, the Global Parliament of Mayors stands in solidarity with the overwhelming majority of nations that have committed addressing climate change. Mayors are important allies in efforts to sharply reduce global carbon emissions, as cities and their communities are on the frontline of climate change.
It is more important than ever to meet the targets set out by COP21, and to exceed them if possible. The science could not be clearer or more alarming. We are already seeing the increase in extreme weather and its impacts on millions of people around the world. The recent flooding in Houston, Texas; Mumbai, India; and Freetown, Sierra Leone painfully underscore the devastating impacts to cities and vulnerable populations within them.
Cities are also powerfully positioned to act to combat climate change and to promote urban resiliency. Cities possess many of the tools needed to adopt and implement distinctive policies suited to their particular circumstances. As centers of productivity and technology, cities can harness and redirect local innovation to help reduce carbon emissions within their borders. Many cities are already helping and prepare their communities and their infrastructure to become more resilient to extreme weather events.
The Global Parliament of Mayors stands ready to work alongside national leaders and other city networks as they push forward to implement the Paris Climate Change Agreement. GPM members commit to widening and accelerating action on climate change and related threats to the global commons. We commit to harness the ongoing efforts of C40, 100 Resilient Cities, Global Covenant of Mayors, ICLEI and UCLG, among networks, to ensure common purpose. And we commit to meeting the targets set out by COP21.