European cities and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability will hold a joint working session on how to integrate the agendas of ambitious low-emission development with the aim to reach carbon neutrality and nature-based solutions for more sustainable cities alongside this year’s United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP 25 (2-13 Dec 2019). At COP25, the EU will deliver a strong political message on the urgent need for enhanced global action in light of the climate emergency and reaffirm its commitment to the multilateral process. As local governments are leaders of climate action, the European partner cities of the Connecting Nature, Urban-LEDs and CLEVER Cities projects will meet to discuss local implementation in practice.
A Coruña (Spain) will share the progress of the Connecting Nature project: how a network of urban gardens cost-efficiently addresses many of the city’s strategic goals and how nature-based solutions can unearth alternative governance models.
COP host city Madrid (Spain) will share the outcomes of the Urban-LEDs and CLEVER Cities projects, its Green Infrastructure Plan, its Air Quality and Climate Change Plan and its large-scale sustainable mobility plan. Further information on Urban-LEDs will be provided by ICLEI Member Helsinki (Finland) (TBC). The discussion will conclude with an open panel on “Integrated Climate Action in Cities: Synergies among low-emission development, carbon neutrality and nature-based solutions,” before the cities visit Madrid’s Rio Urban Regeneration Project and Waste Management Centre of Valdemingomez for attending city partners.