The new integrated Covenant of Mayors on Climate and Energy was officially launched yesterday (Oct. 15) at the European Parliament in Brussels, with hundreds of cities representatives in attendance. Bringing together the objectives of the Covenant of Mayors and Mayors Adapt initiatives, the Covenant of Mayors on Climate and Energy will focus on three pillars: the 2030 horizon, the integration of mitigation and adaptation, and the international dimension.
The new Covenant was created as a follow-up to a recent consultation conducted by the Covenant of Mayors Office and the European Committee of the Regions, where 97% of cities surveyed called for a new target beyond 2020, and a majority supported the integration of mitigation and adaptation goals. Following this process, signatory cities now are invited to pledge support to the new EU 2030 target of at least 40% CO2 emissions reductions by 2030, a joint approach to addressing mitigation and adaptation, and the global extension of the initiative.
For the complete article, please see Climate Observer.
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In 2018, many countries, including India, have been at the receiving end of the worst disasters the world has ever witnessed. It is imperative that they adopt a human security approach to achieve “freedom from hazard impacts” – nationally through a scientific disaster risk reduction strategy, and internationally through climate diplomacy.
San Francisco’s Global Climate Action Summit ended on 14 September with non-state actors sending a call to action to governments ahead of the crucial COP24 in December, while highlighting their pivotal role in reducing emissions and reaching climate targets.
Climate diplomacy has been picking up momentum in 2018. To celebrate Climate Diplomacy Week 2018, we collected our 10 best climate diplomacy stories of the year. Travel with us from Brussels to The Hague, Rio de Janeiro, New Delhi, Beijing and San Francisco.