Municipalities join EU commitment to reduce CO2

THREE MUNICIPALITIES, Ayios Athanasios, Latsia and Strovolos, have signed up to the ‘Covenant of Mayors’, a pan-EU local council commitment to reduce their CO2 emissions by implementing energy action plans in their municipalities.

The project provides that by 2020 local authorities pledge to reduce emissions over the 20 per cent proposed by the EU at the Copenhagen summit on climate change.

Around 1,000 European towns and cities have already signed the pledge to develop sustainable energy action plans (SEAPs) as the first step in reducing emissions as part of an initiative launched ten months ago. Participating cities include Paris, London, Munich and Barcelona, while the latest signatory is the German city of Rostock.

“I welcome the commitment to local sustainable energy demonstrated by Rostock today as the 1,000th signatory of the covenant. The number of communities now involved is a clear indication of the strong belief in tackling climate in a coherent way at local level,” said Energy Commissioner Andris Pielbags.

As signatory local councils, Ayios Athanasios, Latsia and Strovolos are now obliged to prepare SEAPs in 2010, providing practical ways of reducing CO2 emissions, by promoting the sustainable use of energy in their municipalities. SEAPs should include actions in improving the built environment, urban equipment, transport, citizen participation, town planning and promoting intelligent energy behaviour.

Strovolos municipality, for example, will draft a CO2-reduction strategy that focuses on municipal buildings, households, transport means and energy saving in general. Its plan will also examine ways of optimising the effectiveness of energy production, including electrical energy, thermal energy and fuel.

The Covenant of Mayors is a European Commission initiative, based on the belief that it is imperative to involve local governments in implementing sustainable energy plans. As 80 per cent of the population in the EU lives in cities, local councils are conveniently close to citizens to help promote the adoption of greener habits and the development of alternative energy plans.

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