Local governments are the authorities closest to the citizens and must be involved if the decisions agreed on in Copenhagen in December 2009 are to be realised. This was where the Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit in June 2009 came into the picture.
The local governments will be involved in a national-local dialogue to make the national governments recognise the importance of local action in national climate strategies if these strategies are to be realised. In continuation of this, local governments offer a national-local partnership to limit global warming and to make sure that the agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009 is realised.
Therefore, it is not surprising that more than 700 mayors, local politicians and senior administration officials from around 60 countries attended the Summit. Furthermore, representatives from national governments and embassies, international organizations and press were at place at the Summit.
This made the Summit a unique opportunity for cities, municipalities, and regions worldwide to demonstrate to the climate community what they have done in the field of climate. Furthermore, it was an excellent platform for exchange of experiences in the field and an outstanding opportunity for local governments to show to the national governments how important the role of the local governments is when it comes to meeting the climate challenge consequences and contributing to limit the emission of green house gases.
At the Summit there were five central themes: 1) Adaptation, 2) Mitigation, 3) Climate Justice, 4) Access to Finance and 5) Technology. There were 23 sessions covering a broad range of aspects of the four central themes.
Also, there were two study tours where the participants had the opportunity to see how Danish municipalities are handling the climate challenge. The tours went to the Danish municipality Lolland and to the suburbs Albertslund, Høje-Taastrup and Køge, located west of Copenhagen.
Copenhagen, the venue of the Summit, is know as one of
the world's most a biking-friendly cities. Photo: VisitDenmark