Pope Francis and C40 mayors chart course for climate resilience
C40 Cities
C40 is a network of nearly 100 world-leading cities taking urgent action to confront the climate crisis. ?? ??♀?
The recent Vatican climate summit, ‘Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience,’ marked a milestone in the global climate fight, with C40 mayors signing a crucial climate protocol.?
The impact of the climate crisis reverberates across the globe, affecting people of all faiths and backgrounds. To avert climate breakdown, we need coordinated partnerships between all levels of government to unlock the win-win opportunity, enable better, more ambitious and people-centred climate action, and leverage the true potential of local climate leadership.
Led by C40 Co-Chair and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, on 16 May 2024, a delegation of eight city leaders engaged in high-level discussions on climate adaptation, mitigation, and resilience. The delegation, which included Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu; C40 Vice Chair Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo; Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri; Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas; Governor of Santiago, Claudio Orrego; Mayor of Yokohama, Takeharu Yamanaka and Mayor of S?o Paulo, Ricardo Nunes, emphasised the vital role cities play in driving climate action.
The mayors called for enhanced collaboration between cities and national governments to meet climate targets and signed the ‘Protocol for Climate Resilience’ alongside global climate leaders. The protocol will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to take it forward to all nations.
A highlight was the audience with His Holiness Pope Francis, where mayors discussed their climate strategies and challenges, aligning with the Pope’s call to action in his Laudate Deum. Mayors also addressed the assembly throughout the day in the ‘Mayors and Governors Summit,’ participating in global roundtable events.
C40 Vice Chair and Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo praised Pope Francis for linking climate, social justice, and migration, a connection evident in the challenges faced by cities. Mayor of Yokohama Takeharu Yamanaka emphasised the importance of resident empowerment and the city government’s role in societal transformation, sharing Yokohama's success in reducing household waste by 43% through expanded waste separation and resident engagement.
Mayor of Athens Haris Doukas highlighted the effectiveness of multi-level climate action initiated by the Paris Agreement, positioning cities at the forefront of the climate fight. Echoing His Holiness Pope Francis, Mayor of S?o Paulo Ricardo Nunes reflected on the need to support the poorest and most vulnerable in the transition to more sustainable cities.
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Governor of Santiago Claudio Orrego pointed out the exacerbation of inequality by climate breakdown, advocating for the involvement of various sectors to tackle the issue effectively. Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri discussed the city's efforts in mitigation and adaptation, focusing on transformative interventions and protecting the most vulnerable through measures like low-emission zones. Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu reflected on the city's historical and ongoing commitment to green spaces as essential components of community health and climate resilience.
As the summit concluded, C40 Co-Chair Mayor of London Sadiq Khan highlighted the success of London’s ultra-low emission zone, emphasising how the world’s largest clean air zone is protecting the health of residents. Watch below:
Reflecting on the summit in The Standard, Mayor Khan wrote: “It’s an honour to have been invited by the Pope to speak at an important climate summit at the Vatican. Following my recent re-election in London, I go with a clear message for other city leaders — this is not the time to back down, but to double down.
“This is a moment which demands the courage to take tough decisions because regardless of the differing beliefs and faiths we live by, we share a collective duty as custodians of this planet.”
The collaborative efforts and shared insights from this summit underscored the collective determination of cities worldwide to lead the charge in climate action and resilience, marking the event as a key moment in the global climate movement.
Strategic Environmental Trainer, Keynote Speaker, BHAG Wrangler, helping government, business & professional bodies bridge the environmental skills gap at scale & pace. It's all about Learning for Life on Earth.
5 个月Elizabeth Aitken Rose
Deputy Director General
5 个月Urbi et Orbi Melissa.
Co-Founder, Project Law Group, PLLC
5 个月We don't need climate resilience. We need "transitioning away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner" (COP28). This requires prudent stewardship of habitat longevity. That requires making social stewardship equity available to finance a new planetary initiative to rapidly redesign and reconstruct our global energy supply ecosystems, to be purpose-built for energy sufficiency, complete with habitat longevity and social equity on a planetary scale in the 21st Century, and beyond.... Where will we find this social stewardship equity? Pensions & Endowments already have it. Tens of trillions of the stuff. Globally. Worldwide. Including in the Vatican. And in almost every city in the world. How can we mobilize this global treasure trove of social stewardship equity to finance an new future of energy sufficency with habitat longevity and social equity on a planetary scale in the 21st Century and beyond? Might be a good idea to convene a Summit to explore.