Real Sub-National ‘States & Regions’ Climate Action
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January 6, 2011Last year in Copenhagen an Alliance of over 60 state and regional governments committed to ‘tangible actions to reduce emissions’ with a view to reporting on progress Cancun in 2010.
The Australian State Governments of Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia are members of this Alliance.
Representing more than 15 per cent of world GDP, this Alliance joined leading businesses at The Climate Group’s annual Climate Leaders Summit, on the sidelines of the UN climate talks in Cancun.
The Climate Group
The Climate Group is an independent, not-for-profit organization working with government and business leaders to cut global emissions and accelerate a clean industrial revolution.
Some Alliance Initiatives
- São Paulo legislating for a 20 per cent cut in emissions by 2020, the first region of any non-Annex 1 country to do so
- Upper Austria setting a target for 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030
- New York’s Public Service Commission approving 95 energy efficiency programs representing a commitment of US$992 million, which could save the annual energy use of approximately 70,000 homes
- California approving six large-scale solar projects totalling nearly 3000 MW, including the world’s largest solar energy project at 1000 MW
- Bavaria aiming to have 200,000 electric vehicles driving on its roads by 2020, or 20 per cent of all electric vehicles registered in Germany
- Rhône-Alpes setting an emissions reduction target of 40 per cent by 2020
- South Australia setting targets including recycling 75 per cent of household waste, 90 per cent of construction and demolition waste, and 75 per cent of commercial and industrial waste by 2015
- Scotland being the first region to commit to the Billion Trees Initiative, with a pledge to plant 100 million trees by 2015
The Alliance has pledged to expand their network and share their knowledge on the clean revolution with developing economies.
Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec and co-Chair of the States & Regions Alliance says:
“We are proving that while a global agreement is important, we do not need to wait for it to start building the path to a new low carbon future. As our national counterparts meet here in Cancun to continue the negotiations, states and regions are continuing to show the leadership necessary to make practical headway on climate action.”
Sub-National action but no global agreement. WHAT is working? WHAT is different?
