Bautista leads mayors in fight vs pollution

• Source: http://www.journal.com.ph/news/metro/bautista-leads-mayors-in-fight-vs-pollution
• Wednesday, November 18, 2015

(People's Journal)

QUEZON City Mayor Herbert M. Bautista has taken the initiative for more than 54 Philippine mayors to commit to a zero-carbon emission.

The mayors come from 17 cities of the National Capital Region and 37 mayors from other cities across the country who signified their commitment to the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of city leaders dedicated to reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, make their communities more resilient to climate change and regularly report their progress publicly.

Quezon City’s commitment to the Compact builds on years of efforts to combat climate change through its membership in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

The city hosted the national launch of the Compact of Mayors last November 12 at the Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City.

“The Compact of Mayors reinforces our city’s commitment to its people, its businesses and the environment,” Bautista said in his statement of commitment to the Compact.

“Through the Compact, we pledge to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, create climate targets, track progress and enhance Quezon City’s climate resilience. With consistent, public reporting of our city’s climate data, we will show how our actions can effect real change,” Bautista added.

As one of the key initiatives launched at the UN Climate Summit in September 2014 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and his Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael Bloomberg, the Compact of Mayors is the world’s largest collective effort by cities to tackle climate change, proactively prepare for its impact and regularly track and report progress.

The Compact of Cities was activated through the initiative of the global city networks – C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI, and UCLG – and with support from UN-Habitat, the UN’s lead agency on urban issues.

Bautista said: “We will continue to support initiatives to make Quezon City a place where people want to live, where businesses want to invest and where jobs will grow. Along with other cities in the Compact of Mayors, we are showing that actions at the local level can have a global impact. By improving our city, we will be helping create a better world for today’s urban citizens and generations to come.”

Quezon City pioneered the implementation of sustainable environmental and climate change measures in the country. Some of its environment and disaster preparedness initiatives include making proper use of the city’s land resources through the Comprehensive Land Use Plan ordinance and promoting sustainable and eco-friendly structures through the Green Building ordinance, among others.

In terms of disaster-risk reduction, the city government has also set up an urban program that reconciles city development with disaster risk mitigation.