A statement by Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles and Chair of C40 Cities
On behalf of C40 Cities, I would like to thank the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for its Working Group 1, 6th assessment report, which sets the gold standard for climate science.
The evidence laid out in these pages confirms what we are all witnessing each and every day. The climate crisis is already upon us, and the effects are getting worse. From fires that burn our homes, floods that devastate our streets, and economic dislocation that is hurting people in our neighborhoods, the evidence is impossible to ignore. This crisis will continue to disproportionately burden those that have the least, so our response must be strong, just, and leave no one behind.
The findings of this report are stark, but the science is clear: every fraction of global heating matters, and keeping global temperature rise under 1.5°C is still within reach if we act quickly and decisively. That makes this the single most important decade in human history — one that will define and determine whether life sustains as we know it. That means taking urgent action to halve global emissions by 2030, a feat that can’t be accomplished unless we come together to deliver a Global Green New Deal.
Cities control transportation networks, building codes, and water and power lines, all of which are instrumental to this fight. C40 Mayors are uniquely poised to play our part in this work, and if we continue to set a model in our cities, we know that will translate to climate action across the world.
The strides that we have already made give us the ability to determine what happens next. I invite all my fellow mayors to join us in this effort by joining Cities Race to Zero, and to continue making their voices heard ahead of COP26 to ensure it delivers the climate ambition, action, and finance that we need to deliver a more sustainable, prosperous, and equitable future for all.