If Nations Won't Fight Global Warming, Cities Can and Will
Within the new U.S administration—and a growing number of political parties across the world—we now have climate deniers openly working to dismantle years of painstaking climate diplomacy and action. This creates huge risks for us all.
We are already seeing the stark consequences of the failure of nation states to do enough. Wildfires, hurricanes, rising sea levels and extreme heat are all becoming more frequent and severe. Carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere are now over 420 parts per million—20 percent higher than when the UN climate negotiations began nearly three decades ago.
This aerial view shows icebergs floating in the waters beaten down by the sun with buildings in the background off Nuuk, Greenland, on March 11.
This aerial view shows icebergs floating in the waters beaten down by the sun with buildings in the background off Nuuk, Greenland, on March 11.
ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images
But as we mark the 55th anniversary of Earth Day, under the banner of "Our Power, Our Planet," we can draw hope from the difference that cities, communities and individuals can still make to tackle the climate crisis. Cities are proving that a greener and healthier way of life is not only possible, but already delivering tangible benefits—from well-paid green jobs to less polluted neighborhoods.
The first Earth Day in 1970 sparked a movement in the United States that led to the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Today, the U.S. may be run by those who seem willing to squander the economic opportunities of the green economy, but cities around the world are already seizing them.
From London to Los Angeles, and São Paulo to Seoul, cities are powering a formidable climate movement that is having a real impact. London has put in place the world's largest clean air zone, helping to bring down emissions and dramatically clean up its air. The city has also brought forward its net zero target to 2030, which is helping to accelerate green investment, boost business and grow the low-carbon economy. London knows it would be foolish to miss out on the economic opportunity of the 21st century, and many other cities are not only watching and learning, but emulating this example, with new and exciting climate initiatives of their own.
In New York City, Local Law 97 mandates that large buildings cut their carbon footprint. The energy costs of Rio de Janeiro's municipal buildings will soon be halved by switching to renewables. Amsterdam is on target to phase out natural gas by 2040 while insulating the homes of the city's most vulnerable residents. Copenhagen is on track to become the first carbon-neutral city by the end of this year, thanks to investments in wind energy and district heating. Across Africa, cities like Nairobi and Freetown are planting millions of trees to cool streets and combat extreme weather.
More than half of the world's population (56 percent of people) now live in cities, and urban areas generate about 80 percent of global GDP. Throughout history, cities have been hubs of progress on the forefront of innovation. As national governments step back from their climate obligations, cities are now becoming ever-bigger players in the transition to a greener, more environmentally responsible era. They are stepping up and generating not just clean power, but the momentum that's urgently needed to realize a greener and safer future.
This will hopefully encourage citizens around the world to not lose faith and to continue to put pressure on their national governments to do more before it's too late.
The first Earth Day mobilized 20 million people to demand action. Today, more than a billion participate annually. So, let's use this moment to harness our collective power, push back against the vested interests and continue the fight for a better and brighter future for our planet.
Sadiq Khan is the current mayor of London and co-chair of C-40 Cities. Denis Hayes is organizer of the first Earth Day and serves as board chair emeritus of EARTHDAY.ORG.
The views expressed in this article are the writers' own.
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Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
What to expect, and what not to, at the UN meeting on an Israel-Palestinian two-state solution
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'It was absolutely necessary to restart a political process, the two-state solution process, that is today threatened, more threatened than it has ever been,' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Sunday on CBS News' 'Face the Nation.' Here's what's useful to know about the upcoming gathering. Why a two-state solution? The idea of dividing the Holy Land goes back decades. When the British mandate over Palestine ended, the U.N. partition plan in 1947 envisioned dividing the territory into Jewish and Arab states. Israel accepted the plan, but upon Israel's declaration of independence the following year, its Arab neighbors declared war and the plan was never implemented. Under a 1949 armistice, Jordan held control over the West Bank and east Jerusalem and Egypt over Gaza. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those lands for a future independent state alongside Israel, and this idea of a two-state solution based on Israel's pre-1967 boundaries has been the basis of peace talks dating back to the 1990s. The two-state solution has wide international support. The logic behind it is that the population of Israel — along with east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza — is divided equally between Jews and Palestinians. The establishment of an independent Palestine would leave Israel as a democratic country with a solid Jewish majority and grant the Palestinians their dream of self-determination. Why hold a conference now? France and Saudi Arabia have said they want to put a spotlight on the two-state solution as the only viable path to peace in the Middle East — and they want to see a road map with specific steps, first ending the war in Gaza. 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About 145 countries have recognized the state of Palestine. But Macron's announcement, ahead of Monday's meeting and amid increasing global anger over desperately hungry people in Gaza starting to die from starvation, makes France the most important Western power to do so. What is Israel's view? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds. Netanyahu's religious and nationalist base views the West Bank as the biblical and historical homeland of the Jewish people, while Israeli Jews overwhelmingly consider Jerusalem their eternal capital. The city's eastern side is home to Judaism's holiest site, along with major Christian and Muslim holy places. Hard-line Israelis like Netanyahu believe the Palestinians don't want peace, citing the second Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s, and more recently the Hamas takeover of Gaza two years after Israel withdrew from the territory in 2005. 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Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and close associate of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the meeting will serve as preparation for a presidential summit expected in September. It will take place either in France or at the U.N. on the sidelines of the high-level meeting, U.N. diplomats said. Majdalani said the Palestinians have several goals, first a 'serious international political process leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.' The Palestinians also want additional international recognition of their state by major countries including Britain. But expect that to happen in September, not at Monday's meeting, Majdalani said. And he said they want economic and financial support for the Palestinian Authority and international support for the reconstruction and recovery of the Gaza Strip. What will happen — and won't happen — at the meeting? All 193 U.N. member nations have been invited to attend the meeting and a French diplomat said about 40 ministers are expected. The United States and Israel are the only countries who are boycotting. The co-chairs have circulated an outcome document which could be adopted, and there could be some announcements of intentions to recognize a Palestinian state. But with Israel and the United States boycotting, there is no prospect of a breakthrough and the resumption of long-stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians on an end to their conflict. Secretary-General António Guterres urged participants after the meeting was announced 'to keep the two-state solution alive.' And he said the international community must not only support a solution where independent states of Palestine and Israel live side-by-side in peace but 'materialize the conditions to make it happen.' ___ Federman reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
New York Post
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- New York Post
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New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Kim Jong Un's powerful sister rejects appeasement overture by South's new president
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