The Zero Carbon Forum event was held today in a virtual and moderated way from Paris, a call made by Mayor Anne Hidalgo to city leaders together with international actors committed to the climate crisis.
Mayor Claudia López was invited to represent Bogotá, recognized as a pioneer city in the use of financial instruments in the fight against global warming, specifically in its implementation of measures in favor of advancing towards a New Social and Environmental Contract for the Bogotá of the XXI Century, a process that during 2020 links environmental recovery with recovery from the pandemic.
Five years ago, Hidalgo and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg met with 1,000 mayors to draw the attention of their national governments and propose actions committed to fighting climate change with cities as the center of action.
Today they meet again to assign specific actions and thereby consolidate their transition towards carbon neutrality through the issuance of green bonds, the monetization of carbon offsets, the use of green investment funds, the obtaining of loans linked to sustainability, and generate changes in food supply to reaffirm the central role of cities in complying with the Paris Agreement.
In addition to the mayor Claudia López, the mayor of Oslo, Raymond Johansen and the director of BNP Paribas, Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, moderated by Paul Somondon, participated in this round table.
This is how the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, explained the need for this summit, “We have seen in recent months that the same measures that we use to combat climate change are those that have allowed us to survive this pandemic. Five years after the Paris agreement, its guidelines are more current than ever and should be our guide to reformulate the ways in which we live, travel and restore nature in cities to ensure a recovery that is environmentally friendly and socially just. "
During this event, the Mayor of Oslo Raymond Johansen spoke about the importance of implementing financial measures to achieve greener cities. He stressed how different mechanisms are used in his city so that sustainable investments are more profitable than those that generate greenhouse gas emissions. “Financial strategies are very important. Where investments go, the economy goes. " said the mayor.
During her speech, the Mayor of Bogotá referred to the city plans in terms of urban strategy, "We are determined with our Land Use Plan, that will govern for the next 15 years, to convert a two-hour city into a thirty minutes average one. We also want to have green districts and green corridors in which we are going to redistribute public space, and reduce the space that cars have to improve the quality of the quantity of space for bicycles ”.
At the end of the event, the moderator Paul Somondon, deputy mayor of Paris, concluded by talking about the importance of sharing these experiences in the implementation of measures that promote sustainability in the field of investment and the central role of cities in achieving the commitments acquired five years ago in the Paris Accords.
Invitations to international settings like this one are of great importance, as they strengthen and consolidate Bogotá's position as a leader in the advancement of the sustainable development goals.
