A report from the Mayors Climate Summit

Mayors representing more than 80 cities around the world have been at the Mayors Climate Summit the last few days. Representing more than half the world’s population, these leaders have more than just a periphery responsibility. 

I have been listening to the discussions and have been trying to figure out whether there are any actual news or if it is just another round of politicians shooting off statistics on green improvements from their city. 

On day one of the summit, selected mayors showed how cities can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and had a general discussion on priority issues. 

Topics were as follows:
Los Angeles: Energy efficient lighting by LED lights 
New York City: Energy efficient buildings 
São Paulo: Waste management 
Mexico City: Low carbon transport – bikes and the metrobus
Johannesburg: Low carbon transport 
Toronto: Clean energy through using heat exchanger plates 
Copenhagen: Clean energy through using wind turbines 
Jakarta: Carbon financing 
Barcelona: Clean energy from solar energy
London: Sustainable urban planning through the use of environmentally friendly police cars 

In the following discussion, mayors from Dar es Salaam, Buenos Aires and Hong Kong joined in and talked mostly about the challenges that lie ahead for their cities. The biggest challenges appear to be transportation, retrofitting the existing building mass and getting national and private support for these huge investments. The talks were moderated by Alex Steffen, editor of Worldchanging.com and Mayor Miller from Toronto also President of C40 Cities.

Be positive!
Mayor Johnson of London expressed the importance of a positive outlook with the promise of good and sound economy when dealing with sustainable urban solutions. That argument was also the one of ex-president Clinton's video greeting to the mayors earlier that day. 
The London mayor told a gathering of municipal leaders that misery, restraint and self-flagellation would only make matters worse."We have to stop being so unremittingly negative and gloomy. We need to warn people and be realistic about the peril we face. But we must also mobilize people's natural desire to better themselves and get on with their lives," he said. "What I want to advocate is not just a reduction in consumption, but a virtuous pattern of green consumerism. I want to appeal to people's naked financial self-interest." When the mayors were asked on specific CO2 reductions, Johnson announced: “We’re going to reduce our CO2 emissions by 30 percent by 2030” Copenhagen’s mayor Ritt Bjerregaard topped this, saying that Copenhagen aimed to be carbon-neutral by 2025!

“We are in the epicenter of climate injustice”
These were the words of Mayor Kimbisi of Dar es Salaam. He expressed the view of many African cities saying that more than visions are needed to handle future and present climate refugees. Kimbisi said that Africa was paying the price for the western world’s energy consumption.

For too long, the needs of the developing countries have been ignored through inaction on climate change. The countries are now suffering more and more from its effects. What I heard today was more a parade of good deeds and ideas and not really a discussion and acknowledgement of what really matters.