Making a Place for Cities in International Climate Change Negotiations

"Acknowledging that governments may not be moving fast enough to avert a climate disaster, Secretary of State John F. Kerry is pushing for a bigger role for cities, universities and other institutions in achieving rapid cuts in ­greenhouse-gas emissions," reports Joby Warrick. The remarks precede upcoming negotiations in Paris, known as COP 21, as the United Nations continues efforts to create an international accord to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

Kerry is quoted in the article: "A lot of mayors around the world are ahead of their national governments, and a lot of local citizens are well ahead of their elected leaders….I think we need to find a way to highlight that."

Carey L. Biron also picked up on the news for Citiscope, providing additional context on Secretary Kerry's remarks after describing them as "forceful":

"Indeed, for all of the new interest in bolstering climate-related action from cities and non-state actors, there is yet to be any formal way of integrating these entities into the COP 21 process — both in terms of soliciting emissions pledges and in terms of getting their views into the eventual text of the Paris Accord. The current COP 21 negotiating text, for instance, includes almost no reference whatsoever to cities."