20 Dec 2017

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel is going to sign up to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.

The covenant is an international alliance of cities with a shared vision to combat climate change.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel

Mayor Lianne Dalziel will sign up to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.

Christchurch City Council has agreed that Mayor Dalziel should join the coalition so that the city can join with about 7500 cities around the world who are committed to moving to a low emission future and a more resilient society. These cities represent more than 680 million people.

The Mayor was originally invited to join the covenant by Michael Bloomberg, the former New York Mayor and the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change.

Since receiving that invitation considerable work has been done by the Council to ensure that Christchurch meets the criteria for becoming part of the covenant.

“We recognise that the actions of cities around the world are key to finding solutions to the massive challenge of climate change,” Mayor Dalziel says.

“We have a huge incentive to act quickly to reduce carbon emissions in order to improve community health and build better economies. We will identify climate risks and vulnerabilities, and implement adaption strategies to support the development of more resilient communities.

“Christchurch is joining the Global Covenant to further our commitment to tackling climate change.

“By sharing ideas, aligning strategies, investing in innovative solutions and speaking with one voice, cities of all sizes can tackle climate issues.

“Above all, we must take joint responsibility for our future.”

The Global Covenant targets “ambitious, measurable climate and energy initiatives that lead to an inclusive, just, low-emission and climate resilient future”.

Christchurch City Council has already set itself a target of becoming net carbon neutral by 2030. It is also looking at developing strategies that would enable Christchurch to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Various initiatives are under way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Council activities, including the 100 per cent battery electric car sharing scheme, the new LED street lighting, and an energy efficiency programme of work.