Mayors from 26 European cities including London have signed an agreement to tackle climate change.
Included in the measures are plans to invest in green sectors of the economy and low carbon industries, as well as sustainable procurement.
In the statement signed by mayors from cities including Paris, Rome, Madrid and Dublin, as well as London mayor Boris Johnson (pictured), commitments were made to improve recycling and move towards a circular economy.
The statement said: “If climate change is global, solutions are first and foremost local. Because large cities are at the crossroads of these two levels, they are at the forefront of the fight against climate change.
“This is why we, the European capitals and metropolises that represent more than 60 million inhabitants and have significant investment capacity (€2 trillion GDP), have decided to join forces and strengthen the instruments that will lead us toward the energy and environmental transition.
“We are addressing the major causes of greenhouse gas emissions: polluting transport, old and/or poorly insulated buildings and energy supply.
“In parallel, we are launching ambitious projects such as tackle urban sprawl, (re)introduce nature and biodiversity in our cities, improve recycling, fight against waste, move us towards a circular economy, prioritise public transport, increase electrical mobility, refurbish buildings and improve energy efficiency.”
There was also a commitment to exchanging best practice on tackling these areas.
Mayors from Athens, Bordeaux, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Florence, Geneva, Helsinki, Lisbon, Ljubljana, London, Lyon, Madrid, Milan, Nicosia, Paris, Rome, Sofia, Stockholm, Strasbourg, Tallinn, Valletta, Vilnius and Vienna all signed the agreement.
