Round table on climate change
Bonn, Germany, 2 June 2011
Speaking notes for Mrs Gaye Doganoglu, Vice-President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The position of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on climate change rests on several key premises.
First, that the success of our action on climate does not depend solely on an agreement between states. Local and regional authorities are playing a crucial role in this action; in fact, their activities account for far more than a half of estimated effects from mitigation and adaptation efforts. Being among the biggest polluters in Europe – through local economy, public transport, residential heating, etc. – they are part of the problem and must be part of the solution.
Local and regional authorities know best the problems and needs of their communities. They increasingly have competence and resources to take action, apply strict environmental regulations at local level, and make decisions on the choice of public transport, construction materials or sources of energy, for example. They represent also the most appropriate level of governance for public awareness-raising and citizens’ mobilization. Also due to this position, and as leaders of their communities, local and regional authorities can influence and bring about change in local lifestyles and consumption patterns, promoting a more responsible nd sustainable use of resources.
Secondly, for the above reasons, action on climate change must be based on national/local partnerships (by “local” in this case I mean both “local and regional”). This means:
- recognition by national governments that local and regional authorities are equally important stakeholders in the climate action;
- national support for local and regional action on climate – political, financial and administrative where necessary;
- inclusion of local and regional authorities in negotiations of any climate agreement;
- inclusion of local and regional authorities in the elaboration of national strategies and action plans on climate, and making local and regional action part of these strategies and action plans.
However, having said that, it is our position that local and regional authorities should not wait for any intergovernmental agreement but set their own objectives and targets, and pursue their action in response to climate change regardless of their national governments.
The third premise is that our action on climate must go beyond mitigation and adaptation efforts, as important as they are. This is first and foremost an issue of good governance, including local and regional governance, if we want to sustain this action in time. By applying proper governing principles and methods – consultations with citizens, participatory budgeting, transparency in decision-making, etc. – we will arrive faster at better and more long-lasting solutions for the benefit of the majority. Therefore, capacity-building for good governance is, in the long run, also a response to climate change.
Finally, our fourth premise – which is directly linked to the question of good governance – is that our action on climate change must involve the human rights dimension. Good governance today, including local governance, is unthinkable without the human rights component. In particular, the Congress shares and supports the position of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that the right to a healthy environment must be included among the rights guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights. Together with our local and regional partners in the Istanbul Consensus, reached during the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, we have also been pushing for the recognition of the right to water. Last but not least, the Congress is supporting the initiative of the Parliamentary Assembly to convene next year an international conference on climate change and human rights. We are convinced that only action based on the respect of the rights of our citizens can be truly sustainable.
These are the key premises on which the Congress’ position on climate change is based. The Congress defended this position at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, where we joined forces with our partners such the Committee of the Regions of the EU, United Cities and Local Governments and ICLEI-Local Government for Sustainability. This was also our message to the Cancun Conference last year.
Finally, about the Congress itself. We are a pan-European political assembly of local and regional elected representatives from 47 countries that are member states of the Council of Europe. As such, we are in a position to make direct recommendations to national governments, which are required to act on them. With its members representing more than 200,000 territorial communities in Europe, the Congress is also a platform for cooperation and experience-sharing that can – and does – make proposals for action at local and regional level across the continent.
Over the past three years, the Congress has made a number of proposals for local and regional action on climate change. Apart from our recommendations linked to the negotiations of an international climate agreement, I would mention in particular our resolutions on:
- building adaptive capacity of local and regional authorities, aimed at reducing vulnerability of our communities through proper risk assessment and increasing their preparedness through pre-emptive response measures – thus raising their overall resilience;
- encouraging local and regional action for a new energy culture, concerning the use of energy sources – and resources;
- promoting responsible and sustainable consumption, geared towards a better consumption model;
- taking measures to halt and reverse the loss of urban biodiversity;
- finally, proposals for action in coastal towns and cities in response to the rising sea levels, another consequence of climate change.
Last but not least, I would also mention another relevant recommendation which dates back to 2005, when the Congress proposed measures at local level to prepare for and cope with the consequences of natural and industrial disasters. Clearly, an increase in frequency and intensity of natural calamities is probably the most visible and tangible effect of climate change.
Resilience meaning the ability to rebound quickly after the disaster, its key factors are:
- ability to preserve human lives and property during the disaster, which is achieved through: for property, the quality of materials used and strict standards applied in construction; proper spatial planning and land development (also relevant for saving human lives) – do not build, or take special measures, in flood-risk or seismic zones, too close to the seafront, etc., build hospitals and rescue services coordination centres in safe areas, etc.; for people – the level of awareness of, first, consequences of disasters and, second, what to do in different types of disasters; being informed of what rescue services to resort to, and contact details; being informed of post-disaster mobilization plans; being informed of government action during disasters, to avoid panic; being forewarned about the approaching disasters.
- Level of equipment, stated of preparedness (through training and drills) and coordination of rescue services;
- Proper risk and vulnerability assessment, and elaboration of advance action plans for different scenarios;
- Early-alert systems (also in coordination with national governments) to warn governments, rescue services and the population of the approaching disasters;
- Advanced acquisition of appropriate equipment and materials based on early forecasts;
- Allocation of proper funds for rescue and emergency measures, keeping an emergency reserve especially in disaster-prone areas;
- Close interaction and coordination with higher-level authorities (regional, national): joint elaboration of action plans, coordination of rescue services and operations at different levels, financial and training support from higher levels.