C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) Communiqué and Resolution for the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development

PUBLISHED June 03, 2011

During the C40 Cities Mayors Summit this week the C40 Steering Committee drafted a Communiqué to highlight for participants of the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development the increasingly important role cities play in adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

The C40 believes the Rio+20 Conference provides an opportunity to further demonstrate the clear link between cities’ climate actions and the larger objectives of low-carbon economies, poverty eradication, and global environmental governance.

Key Points of the Communiqué:

• Megacities must be recognized as having an increasingly important voice in the global climate and sustainable development debate;
• National governments and international treaties should empower the leadership of their cities, to have the authority to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote green industry development;
• Cities must be resourced to drive delivery on national and international targets, including:
  • Opportunities via Multilateral Development Banks to finance measures for mitigation and adaptation to climate change and urban sustainable development;
  • Development of an effective agenda with well-defined goals to support city action plans to combat climate change and promote urban green growth.

To view the full Communiqué, please click here.