Today C40 Chair-elect, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo launched ‘Cap sur la COP22’, an exhibition to demonstrate the action that cities, citizens and businesses take every day to build a sustainable city. The achievements of a number of C40 cities are featured in large photograph installations along the newly pedestrianized Right Bank of the Seine river, highlighting both the progress achieved since the historic Paris Agreement, as well as the challenges that lie ahead.
Mayor Hidalgo will be joined by Ségolène Royal, Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy of France and Abdeladim Lhafi, COP22 Commissioner at the inaugural event, two months ahead of the next UN climate change conference, COP22 in Marrakesh.
“I applaud Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo for bringing this important and vibrant public exhibition to the citizens of Paris,” said Mark Watts, C40 Executive Director. “Mayors and their citizens need to build a shared vision for their cities that supports the agenda necessary to meet the 1.5 degrees target of the Paris Agreement.
“This exhibit will help forge an understanding that local climate action increases the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens. It’s about having clean air to breathe; more green space, bike lanes and pedestrian zones; greater resilience to withstand extreme weather events; and energy efficiencies that bring cost savings that can be channelled to meet other societal needs.”
For the past ten years, the City of Paris has been a committed leader on the issue of climate change. At the Climate Summit for Local Leaders held at Paris City Hall during COP21, Mayor Hidalgo and U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg brought the voice of cities into the global spotlight as playing a key role in the fight against climate change.
During the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, it was announced that Mayor Hidalgo has been unanimously elected to succeed Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes as C40 Chair. The Chair ceremonial handover will happen during the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, taking place in Mexico City from November 30th to December 2nd. As the foremost global gathering of mayors of the world’s megacities the C40 Mayors Summit will set the agenda for a climate safe world in the years ahead.