Climate Chance 2016 Showcases Subnational Commitments & Climate Leadership

As the world turns its focus towards Habitat III and COP22, local leaders committed to taking ambitious climate action gathered in Nantes on September 26–28th for Climate Chance 2016: Climate Actors World Summit hosted by the Nantes Municipal Government.

Climate Chance brought subnational leaders and non-state actors from around the world together to participate in a three-day program focused on empowering local action, showcasing effective on-the-ground strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Innovative ideas and experiences on sustainable development were exchanged, helping to advance a more unified dialogue to turn the Paris Agreement into action before its one-year anniversary.

Ahead of international talks at Habitat III in Quito and COP22 in Marrakech, leaders from local governments and civil society took part in discussions ranging from the fundamental link between sustainable economic development and the framework behind building smart cities, to the need for additional investment in climate action and how stakeholders at all levels can collaborate to achieve global targets. During plenary sessions and forums, subnational leaders were able to work directly together to draw lessons from shared successes and failures on climate action measures in order to further develop progress on climate goals.

It is through city-led action that the world is making an impact towards the 1.5oC threshold, and it is again through city-led action and collaboration that even bolder targets can be met.

Showcasing how greater collaboration can achieve greater impact around the world, day two of Climate Chance featured a focus session on the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, the new global coalition formed by the merger between the Compact of Mayors and the EU Covenant of Mayors. The session included the European Commission’s Peter van Kemseke; Mayor Eckart Würzner of Heidelberg, Germany; Mayor Juan Espadas of Seville, Spain; Fabrice Roussel, Vice President of Nantes Métropole and Mayor of La Chapelle sur Erdre, France; Linda Gillham, Councilor for Environment in Runnymede, United Kingdom; Mayor Alfred Oko Vanderpuije of Accra, Ghana; Ahmed Touizi, Vice President of Marrakech-Safi Regional Council, Morocco; and Frédéric Vallier, Secretary General of CEMR.

During the session, panelists aimed to raise awareness and inform stakeholders about the upcoming January launch of the Global Covenant of Mayors — the world’s largest coalition of cities fighting climate change. Panelists also discussed the importance of an ideas exchange amongst the even broader and more diverse coalition of cities committed to the new Global Covenant of Mayors, and the need to empower stakeholders with concrete recommendations to contribute to global climate talks later this year and beyond.

Climate Chance demonstrated that as national and international leaders gather for Habitat III and COP22, the voices of those on the ground working to implement the very agreements these leaders sign must be recognized and heard. Without weaving in the role of non-state actors into these international discussions, world leaders will be ignoring both the cause and the solution to the most pressing global threat we face. What’s more, without their involvement, state and national commitments towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions will not be met.

Like at COP21 in Paris, Climate Chance positioned subnational governments as the leaders in this fight and propelled local governments into action by expanding their individual commitments that are driving global impact.

Now, leaving Nantes with a shared vision, the success of Climate Chance lies in the mobilization of these local climate actors. And as momentum continues to be built towards COP22, cities will continue to take action and showcase their leadership on successfully and swiftly implementing the Paris Agreement.

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