During a visit to the EU institutions on Wednesday 28 June, Michael Bloomberg, the United Nations Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change and former mayor of New York (who is very engaged in the fight against climate change), provided the EU with assurances of the commitment of US citizens and local authorities in the fight against climate change.
This message was very well received by the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. The comments were repaid in kind with the EU’s repeated commitment to implement this global agreement and cooperate, in an effort to create a maximum amount of international level alliances in support of this agreement.
With Mr Tajani at his side, the UN Special Envoy explained, “I am here to ensure President Tajani and the EU that the American people are behind the battle against climate change. I am sorry that our President has chosen to pull out of the COP21 agreement. My hope is that he will change mind after he listens to people”. He also said, “In America we’ve been able to get halfway towards our COP21 goals" set out by the Obama administration to reduce emissions by 26% by 2025 compared to 2005 levels by closing half of all thermal plants. He said that he was confident about renewables, thanks to their increasingly affordable cost.
Mr Tajani said that Mr Bloomberg’s work towards, the “cooperation between cities is crucial” and, “this is why we strongly welcome the launch of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy". He also praised the many Americans engaged in climate protection.
The EU is not only determined to respect its climate commitments but also work towards creating global level alliances to guarantee that states and non-state actors reaffirm their commitment to the Paris Agreement, explained the High Representative. Ms Mogherini and Michael Bloomberg agreed to meet up again in September in New York during the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations.
Commenting on Twitter, the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete said they needed to “step up our climate cooperation and join forces with cities, businesses and citizens”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)