Five leading international city networks including ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, whom together represent almost all of Europe’s cities, have issued an open letter challenging the proposal by six multinational energy companies that the scaling up of gas can act as a solution to the climate problem. The open letter, also aimed at the UN, argues that a wider view should be taken, and that local and regional governments should be empowered to embrace renewable energy in a range of ways.
“Although we support the idea of a well-functioning carbon market, we believe the world’s energy would be best used if we stopped focusing on one supposedly salutary source of power, technology or market enabler,” states the letter. It goes on to say that the energy transition is already underway, and that local governments are leading the way by creating new production and consumption systems that incorporate a large mix of distributed, sustainable and decentralised energy sources.
The letter stresses that cities are the areas in which climate solutions have the greatest effect, reminding UN negotiators, who will convene in Paris (France) later this year at COP 21 to develop an international climate agreement, that “while the UN climate negotiations have struggled to make progress for years, cities have taken action […] As they can take decisions at the right scale and speed, cities are living laboratories of the energy transition.”
To view the letter in full, click here.
Source: ICLEI iNews June 2015