The second assembly of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change(WMCCC), held recently (16 to 18th February) in Kyoto, Japan has called for an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. The Kyoto Climate Action Declaration calls on all nations to move urgently to negotiate targets for the second commitment period (post-2012) of a 30 percent reduction by 2020, and 80 percent reduction by 2050 in greenhouse gas emissions.

The declaration also urges national governments to cut reliance on fossil fuels by setting favourable frameworks for renewable energy, energy efficiency, conservation technologies and integrated, multi-modal transportation systems.

Over 350 participants from 108 local governments and organizations from all over the world attended the conference, hosted by Mayor Yorikane Masumoto of Kyoto City, who, in his opening speech, stressed the need for all local governments to unite on the issue of climate change, and to turn their support into concrete actions and the identification of further solutions. Other keynote speakers representing the Japanese Ministries of Economy, Trade and Industry, Environment and Foreign Affairs all extended their gratitude to the city of Kyoto for hosting the event, and made reference to the Conference taking place 10 years after the establishment of the Kyoto Protocol.

The WMCCC was initiated in June 2005 by Mr. Yorikane Masumoto, Mayor of Kyoto, Japan, in consultation with ICLEI, which acts as the Council’s Secretariat. Reinforcing the message that local actions have global impact, the WMCCC aims to counter global warming through the mutual cooperation of Local Government leaders around the world in order to:

• Politically promote climate protection policies at the local level;

• Foster the international cooperation of municipal leaders on achieving climate targets, especially under the Kyoto Protocol;

• Strengthen the political profile and impact of the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, and to widening this network of pro-active cities;

• Help strengthen the multilateral mechanisms for global climate protection and, through advocacy, influencing the upcoming negotiations on a future global climate protection regime;

• Form local government delegations to meetings of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), the Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC-COP) and the Meetings of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP).

For more information on the WMCCC, click here: http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=2260

Further news and outcomes from the Kyoto Conference can be accessed by visiting the conference site at www.iclei.org/kyotoconference. A final report will be posted on that site in the coming weeks.