Wednesday 11 December 2019

Raft of cities commit to match or exceed EU climate targets

A total of 27 global cities have committed to match or exceed EU climate targets on emissions.

At a EUROCITIES event hosted yesterday in the European Parliament, on the eve of the Communication on the European Green Deal, the cities pledged to reach to voluntary emissions targets in either 2030 or 2050.

EUROCITIES, which networks 140 cities across the continent and has more than 40 partner cities, said 64% of its members have already committed to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 - of them, 12 have committed to reach neutrality before 2040.

The cities include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Budapest, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Oslo and Stockholm.

The organisation hopes to encourage EU institutions to adopt a strategy for 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5° C target, lead global international ambition at all COP summits and match EU ambitions with the appropriate level of funding.

It notes among its members, Stockholm has already reduced annual emissions from the building sector by nearly 1.3 million tonnes since 1990, Ghent has helped 106 companies save 6,280 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually since 2014 and Barcelona has worked with citizens to create a comprehensive climate plan.

Katarina Luhr, Deputy Mayor of Stockholm, said: "Climate change is not just a challenge but also an enormous opportunity. High time Europe steps up and delivers a Green Deal that brings real change.”