As Board Members of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, the cities we represent are just four of the more than 7,400 on the frontline of the charge for sustainable economic growth. Global Covenant cities are making great strides in advancing the fortunes of our most vulnerable people, while building sustainable cities.

The city of Paris — the namesake of the global agreement by nations to confront climate change — is encouraging private sector investment in new developments through international competition. Our first effort, Reinventing Paris, allowed developers to compete for 23 sites around the city with proposals to address population growth, climate change and inequality. The winning projects will construct over 1,300 new homes, many of which will be accessible social housing. Paris is also working to rejuvenate life by the River Seine by transforming now-abandoned spots. These changes will breathe fresh life into barren spaces, while also providing outlets for green innovation, such as green transport on the river.
 

In Seoul, the city is connecting with young people through the Youth Allowance, a program that offers financial support to help struggling young people find an economic foothold. Our government has sought to level the playing field between small businesses and large corporations, investing in the city’s valuable small business sector and supporting consumer groups that promote transparency and fairness in business. In addition, since 2012, Seoul has been implementing One Less Nuclear Power Plant, a project that aims to save energy and raise renewable energy. Over the past five years, 3.37 million citizens worked together to achieve 3.66 million tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE) of energy saving and renewable energy production — this is almost same as the amount of energy generated by two nuclear power plants and four fossil fuel plants, reducing 8.2 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. We plan to continue our efforts to cut six million TOE of energy, reduce 25 percent of GHG compared to 2005 level, and increase energy independency rate to 20 percent by 2020. We’ve also opened a new mile-long skygarden park, Seoullo 7017, which brings green spaces to neighborhoods across the city. We know that by making sustainable changes to our infrastructure and economy, we can help fight climate change while creating inclusive opportunities for all Seoulites.
 

 Chefchaouen is proud to be a climate leader in Morocco, focusing on energy efficiency, energy savings, renewable energy and the green economy, with particulate attention to transparency so that our citizens can fully understand the benefits of enhancing sustainability. Chefchaouen’s Info-Energie Center is a testament to our commitment to climate action and equality; anyone in the city, from large businesses to individuals, can visit the center to receive expert advice on increasing their energy efficiency. We have seen that the Info-Energie Center inspires people of all ages to work together to make their homes, businesses and communities more resilient. As the first center of its kind in Morocco, we hope its success will inspire cities across the Kingdom, Africa and the globe, to take similar action to educate the public on the need to improve sustainability and protect our children’s futures.

We are proud to stand with mayors and city leaders who are taking the lead in confronting one of the greatest challenges of our time: the threat of global climate change. Through initiatives like the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, we are working together to mitigate future challenges today. However, our efforts will be for nothing if we do not use these efforts to simultaneously address growing economic inequality.

When more citizens achieve economic security, we add even more strength to the fight against climate change. As mayors, we know that inclusive growth efforts are essential to our cities’ work to reduce our environmental impact. By building better cities in tandem with better societies, everyone can participate in creating a world that is cleaner, greener, and more inclusive for generations to come.