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Utrecht Mayor Dijksma stresses importance of city participation at COP27
Mayor of Utrecht Sharon Dijksma stressed the importance of giving cities more say in the design and implementation of measures aimed at achieving environmental targets.
She co-initiated the meeting of environmental ministers and mayors, and pointed out “for me, this climate conference was all about fighting for cities.”
Dijksma pointed out that most people live in cities and added that trends suggest urban areas will account for a larger share of the population in the future.
She stressed that cities are “where the emissions take place, but also the solution to achieve our climate goals,” adding that progress has been made at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference commonly referred to as COP27.
Dijksma reminded that previous conferences largely focused on national governments and the role they play in efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, stressing that COP27 changed this.
Dijksma has been cooperating with the UN since spring to strengthen the position of cities to set and implement climate policies, with the push receiving broad support from cities and governments.
She also discussed the issue with UN Secretary General António Guterres, stressing the importance of strengthening the role of cities in the fight against climate change.
Besides giving cities more say in the matter, the plan includes giving them direct access to financing for environmental projects.
