WHAT IS IT?
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is a global alliance of cities and local governments voluntarily committed to fighting climate change reducing its impacts and facilitating access to sustainable energy for all.
Cities and local governments of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy are agents of change and leaders in climate action: Covenant locations serve as an example, increasing the interest of other cities and levels of governments. The global climate is rapidly changing, and nowhere are the impacts felt more deeply than in local communities around the world. From the rise in sea level in coastal cities and devastating drought areas in villages, local leaders take immediate action.
When the Paris Agreement took effect, global leaders made a broader commitment to address the effects of changing climate. Cities and local governments are taking significant actions and making important steps to reduce the impacts of climate change and strengthen communities for generations to come.
Origins and Development
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy was originated from the merger of the Compact of Mayors and the Covenant of Mayors, two pioneering initiatives that seek to gather local governments towards more green societies.
The Compact of Mayors Mayors is a group of mayors and local managers for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in cities, launched in 2014 by the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and the Special Correspondent for Cities and Climate Change, Michael R. Bloomberg. The Compact started under the leadership of global networks of cities –the C40 Group of Large Cities for Climate Leadership (C40), Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and the United Cities and Local Governments (CGLU) –and with the support of UN-Habitat.
The Covenant of Mayors was created in 2008 to accomplish the European Union’s 2020 goals; since then, it has involved more than 6,800 cities in 58 countries.
With the creation of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, the signatories of the Compact of Mayors will be automatically and progressively included by the new Covenant, without the need for new membership, as the Compact of Mayors is deactivated. On the other hand, the Covenant of Mayors will be considered a regional division of the Global Covenant in Europe.
Objectives and Scope
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy will address three key issues: climate change mitigation, adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change, and global access to safe, clean and affordable energy.
Mitigation
Climate change mitigation refers to take actions aimed to accelerate the decarbonization of the atmosphere and decrease the impact produced by humanity on the climate and environment.
Adaptation
The adaptation to climate change is about identifying current and future climate risks, critical infrastructure, as well as taking action to make the society more resilient to the environmental degradation that is already occurring.
A GLOBAL MOVEMENT
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is the largest global coalition of mayors and local authorities with over 10.000 committed members worldwide.
A commitment to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is not only about taking bold local actions, but also working together with peers from other countries to share innovative solutions that enable mayors to do more and do it faster. Cities and local governments of the Global Covenant connect and exchange, learning from and sharing with each other.