Greentech Lead Europe: European cities are leading in
various areas of climate change management, including setting emissions
targets.
86 percent of European cities have set a city-wide reduction
target, where the global average is 70 percent, according to a new report by
the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and Accenture.
Two-thirds of European cities engaged with their suppliers
on climate change, compared to 47 percent across all regional groupings of
cities reporting to CDP in 2012.
“European cities are demonstrating leadership and best
practice in managing climate change at the local level. The report shows that
other cities can benefit by implementing similar strategies, like annual
measurement and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Conor Riffle,
head of CDP’s cities program.
In addition to target setting, European cities are also
demonstrating best practice to manage climate change in six other key areas.
European cities are moving toward measuring and reporting on
city-wide emissions annually, using the best practice of annual benchmarking
that large listed companies around the world follow. The report finds that
fifty percent of European cities are now measuring city-wide emissions
annually.
European cities top in reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions, one of the key goals of climate action is for a city to demonstrate
year-on-year emissions reductions at a city-wide level. Two European cities,
London and Copenhagen show GHG reductions from their last CDP response.
Climate change risk assessment has become mains tream in
Europe. Seventeen participating cities (77 percent) have completed or are in
the process of completing risk assessments to understand how climate change
will affect their local jurisdictions.
CDP Global Cities Report reveals that the 16 of the 22
European cities say they are facing risks related to frequent or intense
rainfall and the same proportion reports temperature rises or heat waves.
Cities are moving to establish action plans to adapt the
risks. Fourteen cities (64 percent) report that they have an adaptation plan,
and two additional cities are in the process of developing these plans.
European cities show a growing awareness of the economic
opportunity from climate change. Thirteen cities (59 percent) anticipate that
addressing climate change will lead to development of new business industries
in their cities.
The report finds that a small number of leading cities — including Berlin and Helsinki–are utilizing voluntary agreements with local
businesses to further their cities’ climate protection goals.