Porto joined the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy with a commitment to reduce 50 % of greenhouse gas emissions
2019-04-04
The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy was signed by 12 European cities, including Porto, during the Eurocities Environment Forum.
Signing the covenant implies a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 40 % and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. Yesterday, April 3, Porto went a step further and pledged to halve these emissions, compared to 2004. The Porto City Council had approved this commitment last October.
According to Filipe Araújo, president of the Eurocities Environment Forum, vice-president of Porto City Council, in charge of Innovation and the Environment at CMP, "cities have many tools at their disposal to tackle climate change, from the use of ecological public procurement to influencing value chains, and the support and involvement of local stakeholders". Filipe Araújo also explained that "Through Eurocities and the Covenant of Mayors, cities can work together to collect examples of best practices to help make this a reality. We need European leaders to recognise these efforts and give cities a place at the negotiating table when discussing future climate actions".
In this manner, Porto has taken a giant step towards meeting the targets set by the European Union and the Paris Agreement.
At the event, Porto was also joined by: Genoa, Turin, Verona, Milan, Bologna (Italy), Tirana (Albania), Strasbourg (France), Tampere (Finland), Oslo (Norway), Manheim (Germany) and Rijeka (Croatia).
The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy brings together more than 8800 local and regional authorities in 57 countries.
Signing the covenant implies a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 40 % and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. Yesterday, April 3, Porto went a step further and pledged to halve these emissions, compared to 2004. The Porto City Council had approved this commitment last October.
According to Filipe Araújo, president of the Eurocities Environment Forum, vice-president of Porto City Council, in charge of Innovation and the Environment at CMP, "cities have many tools at their disposal to tackle climate change, from the use of ecological public procurement to influencing value chains, and the support and involvement of local stakeholders". Filipe Araújo also explained that "Through Eurocities and the Covenant of Mayors, cities can work together to collect examples of best practices to help make this a reality. We need European leaders to recognise these efforts and give cities a place at the negotiating table when discussing future climate actions".
In this manner, Porto has taken a giant step towards meeting the targets set by the European Union and the Paris Agreement.
At the event, Porto was also joined by: Genoa, Turin, Verona, Milan, Bologna (Italy), Tirana (Albania), Strasbourg (France), Tampere (Finland), Oslo (Norway), Manheim (Germany) and Rijeka (Croatia).
The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy brings together more than 8800 local and regional authorities in 57 countries.
