New Climate Alliance members

We heartily welcome our new Climate Alliance members: in Austria the municipalities of Pernitz, Stubenberg and Tristach; in Germany the municipality of Cremlingen and the district of Ostholstein as well as in Portugal the municipality of Guimarães. Welcome!
As of July 2018, Climate Alliance membership includes 1662 cities, towns and districts as well as 63 provinces, NGOs and other organisations from a total of 26 countries.
www.climatealliance.org/nc/municipalities

Climate Alliance Annual Report now available

The Climate Alliance's “Review and Outlook 2017/2018” has been released. The report gives an overview of Climate Alliance’s wide-ranging activities in 2017 throughout Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland as well as a glimpse of future plans. “This is the first Climate Alliance annual report to feature the activities of each National Coordination Office in dedicated chapters,” explains Sarah Mekjian, Climate Alliance Communications Director. “It thus not only provides easily digestible information on Climate Alliance activities, it also gives a more complete picture of the city network than past reports ever have.”
www.climatealliance.org/newsroom

Mourning for former Board member Camille Gira

Camille Gira, State Secretary for Sustainable Development and Environment in Luxembourg, died on 16 May 2018 at the age of 59. The former Mayor of Beckerich served on the Executive Board of Climate Alliance from 2004 until 2014. He promoted the Climate Alliance and its principles, was a supporter of the Covenant of Mayors and, at the same time, was committed to global issues such as fighting for climate justice and supporting indigenous rights. We will sorely miss Camille – his humanity, his passion, his visions and his friendship.
www.climatealliance.org/newsroom

Climate Alliance at the 4th Amazon Summit of COICA in Brazil

Climate Alliance Executive Board member Ronald van Meygaarden had the honour of addressing the over 300 indigenous delegates at COICA’s 4^th Amazon Summit in the Brazilian city of Macapá on 19 June 2018. “Although our communities are separated by thousands of miles, we face common social and environmental problems,” explained the Deputy Mayor of the Dutch municipality of Geldermalsen. “To tackle climate change, we need to work together and support action at the local level.” In addition to issues such as climate change, indigenous economies and self-government of indigenous territories, board elections were also on the agenda. On 22 June, José Gregorio Mirabal from Venezuela was elected as the new COICA president along with his deputy Tuntiak Katán Jua from Ecuador. The most important contact person for Climate Alliance will be the new Coordinator for Climate Change and Biodiversity, Robinson López from Colombia.
www.climatealliance.org/newsroom

Climate Alliance in dialogue: Renewable energy in indigenous communities

On 18 June 2018, Climate Alliance organised a workshop on the importance of renewable energies for indigenous peoples in Macapá, Brazil. “The sun, the wind, waterways - indigenous peoples have long relied on these resources for their livelihoods. Looking to them for energy as well gives communities new access to energy and can bring unparalleled benefits in terms of health, family wellbeing and quality of life,” emphasised Thomas Brose, Executive Director of Climate Alliance. The event focussed on energy independence, the impacts of climate change on the Amazon and the role of indigenous peoples in rainforest protection. It was organised as part of the EU project “Power to Change” together with COICA, the Instituto Socioambiental and WWF Peru.
www.climatealliance.org/newsroom

Climate Alliance Board member Julie Laernoes speaks at EU for Talanoa

At the opening of the EU for Talanoa conference, organised by the European Commission on 13 June 2018, Climate Alliance Board member and Vice President of Nantes Métropole Julie Laernoes spoke on the need to scale up urban climate action. “Cities are acting faster and going further than national governments. The Talanoa process gives us an opportunity to share those success stories more clearly in the UN Climate Negotiations.” Talanoa stands as an international stocktaking process designed to give stakeholders other than national governments a voice in the international climate negotiations.
www.climatealliance.org/newsroom

Climate Alliance in dialogue with California Governor Jerry Brown

The Coordinator of Climate Alliance Italy Karl-Ludwig Schibel met with California Governor Jerry Brown on 17 and 20 May 2018 to discuss steps towards the next Climate Summit in Katowice, Poland. Schibel, a former longstanding Climate Alliance Board Member, also met representatives of local authorities, associations and activists to discuss the role of the local level in fighting climate change. Governor Brown has been a driving force behind the Under 2 Coalition and is working to raise local level ambition on climate targets.
www.climatealliance.org/newsroom

Connecting Cities ‒ Local Solutions for Global Challenges

1 – 3 October 2018 in Barcelona

By working with a variety of stakeholders as well as with the regional level and one another, cities and towns can take better advantage of their potential to tackle climate change. Connecting Cities strengthens network-based approaches to global challenges by connecting local and regional authorities from across Europe. This year, the International Conference is being organised by Climate Alliance in cooperation with the Province of Barcelona. Join us in exploring local solutions for a sustainable, resilient, circular and inclusive future. Climate Alliance members are invited to apply for a local climate action talk by 15 July and also cordially invited to the General Assembly to shape our international network. Registration is now open. Closing date is 16 September 2018.
www.climatealliance.org/events

Apply now for the Covenant of Mayors twinning programme

The Covenant of Mayors twinning programme offers cities, regions and provinces across Europe the opportunity to take part in twinning exchanges to build local authorities’ capacity on climate change mitigation and adaptation. The twinning programme is open to all Covenant of Mayors signatories and coordinators, as well as to cities and regions that are not yet signatories or coordinators, so long as they sign up to the Covenant 2030 framework before their first twinning visit. This new call enables European local and territorial authorities to participate in two types of exchanges: mentoring and peer-to-peer. All municipalities, regardless of size, are encouraged to apply as mentors. Those who do will, for the first time, be able to take part in a mentors-only workshop. Local and regional authorities should apply before 14 September 2018.
www.climatealliance.org/newsroom

Most innovative geothermal project in the Alpine Space wanted

Climate Alliance is looking for the most innovative near-surface geothermal installation in the Alpine Space. If your project is located in the Alps, is innovative and is being talked about, apply and win a trip to Lyon for the final conference of the EU Interreg project GRETA on 7 November 2018. Here, new findings on near-surface geothermal as well as tools for its integration into energy plans and strategies will be presented. Municipal representatives and renewable energy experts on are cordially invited to attend.
www.alpine-space.eu

Schools in the England are enthusiastic about energy saving

The latest topic in schools in Leicester is how to save the most energy. Using the EU-funded EDI-Net project, which presents the energy consumption quickly and easily understandable, pupils monitor their current consumption of gas, water and electricity of their school. Smileys, which even small children can interpret correctly, are used as clear indicators of energy use. The schools have entered a competition to appear as high up in the list of the top 10 as possible. The scores are published on notice boards and in the social media. Encourage students also at your schools to behave in an energy-saving way!
www.edi-net.eu

New video raises awareness of energy retrofits

The just released short film on building refurbishment is intended to encourage bottom-up approaches on energy retrofitting. “Such measures not only reduce emissions, they also increase comfort and lower energy bills – a huge plus for low income families!” highlights Svenja Enke, project coordinator at Climate Alliance. The video and the activities it highlights have been made possible by the three-year EU project Climate Active Neighbourhoods. It encourages residents of disadvantaged districts to take charge of their energy consumption and helps municipalities to better support local movements.
www.climatealliance.org/newsroom

Reusing wastewater - a way out of water shortages?

Ensuring a safe drinking water supply will prove to be one of the most serious challenges of the future. Worldwide, the situation could become dire by 2030, both due to climate change and to the fact that some 80 percent of wastewater is not being retreated. In the Spanish city of Sabadell, aspects of water recycling were investigated by the KWR Watercycle Research Institute as part of the EU project POWER. The data and findings are now available for local authorities and water supply companies interested in optimising their water recycling systems.
sabadell.power-h2020.eu

EU Guidance on public procurement

The EU Commission published a comprehensive guide to support local authorities in awarding procedures for EU-funded projects and beyond. The guide lays out the entire process - from the preparation and publication of the tender to the selection and evaluation of bids and contract execution. In addition to tips on how to avoid mistakes, good practice examples and useful templates, it also explains how social and environmental criteria can be taken into account when awarding contracts.
ec.europa.eu

ChangeNOW International Summit for Change

28 - 29 September 2018 in Paris

The ChangeNOW Summit is the international rendezvous for positive impact, bringing together hundreds of innovators, investors, media, corporates and mission-driven participants to help scale solutions that can change the world. A call is now open to all local politicians of the European Covenant of Mayors community to participate in a Mayors’ delegation for the ChangeNOW Summit in Paris on 28 September. Be part of the European Covenant of Mayors Delegation!
www.eumayors.eu