Mayors of Milan, Athens, and Barcelona Urge Action to Protect Climate

Mayors call on European Commission to commit to keeping global warming below 1.5°C

The mayors of Barcelona, Milan and Athens pledged to tackle inequality and deliver social justice as part of their efforts to achieve the aims of the Paris Agreement, and called on the European Commission, European governments and all EU citizens to do the same. Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona; Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan; and Giorgios Kaminis, Mayor of Athens spoke today at C40 Talks: Cities Getting the Job Done, a special session of the Smart City Expo World Congress exploring how European cities are setting a bold climate agenda for a better tomorrow.

In the wake of the IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C, it is clearer than ever that fast and far-reaching action is necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change. European cities like Barcelona, Athens and Milan are leading the world in tackling climate change.

Climate action has the potential to deliver not only a world in which global warming stays below 1.5°C, but also deliver significant benefits: recent C40 research shows that urban climate action can generate nearly 14 million jobs and prevent prevent 1.3 million premature deaths annually by 2030.

During the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco earlier this year, mayors of 31 cities, representing close to 100 million citizens, pledged to deliver inclusive climate action that benefits all citizens equitably. Mayors of Accra; Athens; Barcelona; Bridgeport, CT; Buenos Aires; Cape Town; Chicago; Denver; Durban; Guadalajara; Hong Kong, China; Houston; Johannesburg; Los Angeles; Medellin; Mexico City; Milan; Montreal; New York City; Paris; Philadelphia; Portland; Salt Lake City; San Francisco; Santiago; Seattle; Sydney; Tel Aviv; Tokyo; Toronto & Washington DC pledged to increase action on community-led development, inclusive climate action and infrastructure projects that achieve major environmental, health, social and economic benefits especially in low-income and vulnerable communities.

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