As Mayor of Austin, I have committed myself to fight for a better future for our children, by protecting our environment. Austin has committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and recently we expanded our municipal utility’s use of wind and solar power. Every day we take active strides to limit our emissions and reduce our carbon footprint. Today, I have decided to commit with 40 other mayors around the world to ask the G20 heads of state to make sure we don’t give up on our planet, and that they commit to maintain the Paris Agreement. I need your support, as citizen of Austin and of the world to make the world leaders hear our call for a strong response to climate change.
Please sign this petition!
As mayors of many of the world’s great cities, and on behalf of the hundreds of millions of citizens that we represent, we urge you — G20 Heads of State — to deliver on your commitments to tackle climate change, one of the world’s most pressing issues.
Given the US intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, the resolve of the other 19 leaders at the upcoming G20 Summit to safeguard the future of our planet is more important than ever. Local leaders around the world stand together with you, redoubling our commitment to bold action on climate change, working with business leaders and citizens worldwide. We are inspired by the courage of more than 300 Climate Mayors from cities across the United States who have committed in the past weeks to adopt, honor and uphold the Paris Agreement. Hundreds of US cities, universities, and businesses have declared “We Are Still In” and committed to pursue ambitious climate goals, and to ensure that the US remains a global leader in reducing emissions.
We must all work together to save the planet. As mayors and businesses bring forward plans for sustainable infrastructure in our cities, national governments should ensure that financing is available for cities from international climate funds and development banks.
You have the privilege of leadership at a unique moment in history to help realize the potential of the Paris Agreement. The cities of the world and their citizens have a shared vision for a just and sustainable future – one that will make our communities cleaner, healthier, happier and more prosperous. Together with business leaders we have already decided on a climate-safe future of opportunity, optimism and innovation — there is no alternative.
As C40 mayors we will continue to lead on climate action in the most important cities of the world, standing for our people, the planet and global prosperity. Today, we seek to strengthen a pragmatic and positive alliance with you, in the service of our citizens. We look forward to working with you. Don’t miss this opportunity to deliver new hope for tomorrow.
Signatories:
Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40
Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam
Elisabeth Ackermann, President of the Executive Council of the Canton of Basel-Stadt
Steve Adler, Mayor of Austin
Wasim Akhtar, Mayor of Karachi
Herbert Constantine M. Bautista, Mayor of Quezon City
Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona
Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montréal
Marcelo Crivella, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro
Robert Doyle, Mayor of Melbourne
Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago
Helen Fernandez, Mayor of Caracas
Phil Goff, Mayor of Auckland
Rafael Greca, Mayor of Curitiba
Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, Mayor of Warsaw
Fumiko Hayashi, Mayor of Yokohama
Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen
Raymond Johansen, Governing Mayor of Oslo
Georgios Kaminis, Mayor of Athens
Mohammad Sayeed Khokon, Mayor of Dhaka South
Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo
Eberhard van der Laan, Mayor of Amsterdam
Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, Mayor of Buenos Aires
Ed Lee, Mayor of San Francisco
Patricia de Lille, Mayor of Cape Town
Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney
Michael Müller, Mayor of Berlin
Ed Murray, Mayor of Seattle
Antônio Carlos Peixoto de Magalhães Neto, Mayor of Salvador
Claudio Orrego, Governor of Santiago
Mauricio Rodas, Mayor of Quito
Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver
Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan
Yousef Al Shawarbeh, Mayor of Amman
Mohammed Adjei Sowah, Mayor of Accra
John Tory, Mayor of Toronto
Karin Wanngård, Mayor of Stockholm
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston
Ted Wheeler, Mayor of Portland
Kam Sing Wong, Secretary for the Environment of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
Park Won Soon, Mayor of Seoul
Prof. Dr. Eckart Würzner, Lord Mayor of Heidelberg