Paris, Amsterdam, Zagreb and Mexico City have signed up to 10:10 carbon emissions cuts.
14/10/2010 Guardian Four capital cities sign up to 10:10 The French capital has joined Amsterdam, Zagreb and Mexico City in becoming the
first capital cities to join the campaign to reduce carbon emissions.
Photograph: goodplanet.org Mexico City’s taxis and Paris’s city halls are about
to become greener after four worldwide capitals signed up to the 10:10 climate
campaign.
The mayors of Amsterdam, Zagreb, Paris and Mexico City announced this week that
they intend to cut their cities’ carbon emissions by 10% in the next year.
The 10:10 campaign, supported by the Guardian, is championed in 40 countries
with 3,000 businesses and 100,000 individuals signing up, including celebrities
Sienna Miller and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
This is the first time that capital cities have signed up, said campaigners.
Speaking from the Hôtel de Ville, Paris mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, said: “10:10 is
an invitation to act concretely and determinedly. I am very happy about this
partnership.”
Social housing complexes will be renovated, head offices of the 20
arrondissements given energy-saving refurbishments and the city’s fleet of
public vehicles will be “rationalised” in an attempt to cut carbon emissions.
Plans have also been unveiled for geothermal wells in the north-east of the city
which will power 12,000 homes.
The formal agreement from Paris came just before a separate day of international
mass participation climate action on 10/10/10, when 7,000 events took place
around the world.
Twenty four hours later, Paris was joined by the largest city in the Americas,
as Mexico City signed the pledge.
Its carbon-cutting programme includes the opening of a new line of its Metrobus
system (saving 35,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide), replacing all the city’s taxis
(saving 100,000 tonnes of CO2), building more sustainable homes and large-scale
water-saving methane-capture programmes.
“It’s about the survival of our civilisation,” said mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, as he
appealed to the city’s 21.2 million residents to use less electricity and water
and make more journeys by bicycle and public transport.
The city’s average temperature had risen by 3C in the previous century, he said.
Meanwhile, 1 million people tuned in to watch Dutch celebrities quizzed on their
environmental knowledge on a 10:10-themed television show. It followed
Amsterdam’s decision to join the campaign, where viewers were given the number
of a hotline to sign up to 10:10 over the telephone.
Staff in public buildings in the city are already using energy monitors, lights
are being turned off when not in use, and thermostats have been turned down.
Zagreb would also soon be joining the movement, confirmed the mayor, Milan
Bandić, speaking in the Croatian capital on Sunday.
10:10 now has hubs in 45 countries worldwide, and in May, the prime minister,
David Cameron committed the UK government estate to cutting its emissions by
10%.
Ben Margolis, global strategy director at 10:10, said: “This fantastic
commitment from four very different capital cities shows how local 10:10
campaigns around the world have grown in strength and confidence.”
Go to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/oct/14/10-10-capital-cities