World congress of municipalities committed to climate action takes place in Montreal
The International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI) unites over 1,500 cities, towns and regions in more than 100 countries, thus making an important contribution to the anchoring and concrete design of international climate targets at municipal level.
The World Congress of the ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) network is taking place on 21 and 22 June 2018 in Montreal, Canada. The German government will be represented by Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry, Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter. ICLEI connects over 1,500 cities, towns and regions in more than 100 countries and thus makes an important contribution to the anchoring and concrete design of international climate targets at municipal level.
Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter commented: "In many municipalities, the impacts of climate change such as heat waves, heavy rainfall and flooding are already being felt today. At the same time, there is great potential at local level for solutions in the fields of climate action and adaptation to climate change. Climate action at municipal level, whether in cities or rural areas, is now becoming tangible for citizens. The Federal Environment Ministry therefore supports climate action in municipalities in Germany and around the globe through its National and International Climate Initiatives."
The Paris Agreement, bindingly agreed upon by over 190 countries in 2015, explicitly recognises the key role of sub-national players. However, municipalities need the right framework conditions to fulfil this role and to be able to implement local climate action and adaptation measures. The interaction between national, regional and local climate policy is therefore at the heart of the ICLEI World Congress. In May 2019, together with the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg and the City of Heidelberg, the Federal Environment Ministry will be hosting the International Conference on Climate Action (ICCA2019) which will focus on climate action as a joint task.
Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter remarked: "Exchanging experiences at international level is of utmost importance for climate action activities in municipalities. We want to help disseminate good practice that can inspire others to follow suit. The conference in Heidelberg will bring together a wide variety of implementation examples from around the world and show that climate action is already a reality in many places."