Eduardo Paes participates in a meeting of mayors in Paris and reinforces the global call for climate action towards COP30

At a conference celebrating the leadership of cities over the past decade, the mayor defended the Brazilian model of climate federalism - Leo Elger/City Hall of Rio

Mayor Eduardo Paes participated in a meeting in Paris on Monday (23/06) that brought together 14 mayors from four continents to mark the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, signed at COP21. Local leaders made a joint call for more ambition and climate action, with an eye on COP30, which will take place in November in Belém, Brazil.

The event brought together mayors, national authorities, international organizations, multilateral banks and some of the main architects of the Paris Agreement. Five months before COP30, the meeting reinforced the opportunity to realign efforts to reduce emissions, eliminate fossil fuels and advance global energy, equity and resilience goals for 2030.

— This year we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, signed at COP21. Today it is clear that, to a large extent, national governments have failed to establish or meet the climate goals that were defined. At that time, for the first time, cities played a prominent role at a COP. I was president of C40 and we organized a side event here in Paris with the presence of the UN Secretary-General. Now, the importance of including city governments is a consensus — recalls the mayor.

In a speech at the closing session of the event in Paris, Paes argued that COP30 should inaugurate an era of implementation, transforming commitments into concrete actions.

— When it comes to tackling the climate crisis, no one is better positioned to lead implementation than mayors and local governments: city halls are more agile, they are close to the people and they make things happen — said Paes.

— In Rio, we have made great strides in the last decade, with the expansion of clean energy, improvements in public transportation, and the creation of Brazil’s first heat protocol. The challenge is to secure financing to make local projects and the energy transition viable. We defend the Brazilian model of climate federalism, in which national goals are also goals for local governments, with access to financing.

C40 data shows that more than 75% of cities in the network are reducing emissions faster than their national governments. By 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities, which will account for more than 80% of emissions – making urban centers a key player in the response to the climate emergency.

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, reinforced the urgency of recapturing the spirit of 2015:

“The Paris Agreement was a moment of optimism. Now, it is essential to ensure that climate action happens every day, not just every decade,” Hidalgo said. “Cities that invest in climate also reap cleaner air, better housing, safer streets and green jobs.”

After the meeting, the mayor headed to London, where he will participate in London Climate Action Week, the largest climate festival in Europe and another stage of coordination towards COP30. Starting this Tuesday (24/06), he will join more than 45 thousand participants in events about fairer, healthier and more resilient cities.

Mayor Eduardo Paes will be back in Rio this Thursday (26/6).