Park Won Soon, Mayor of Seoul and President of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, outlined the transformative measures needed to improve air quality and address climate change in an article in a recent edition of the UNEP publication Our Planet. Mayor Park uses the South Korean capital of Seoul as a strong example of an urban area that is embracing change to meet environmental and social challenges.

In the article, Mayor Park discusses how Seoul is on the road toward a "new urbanisation" which creates a sustainable city that enables humankind and nature to coexist, tackles climate change and establishes a foundation for energy self-reliance. Mayor Park concludes the article by highlighting the importance of cities acting together, citing his leadership within ICLEI and engagement with the Compact of Mayors as important steps in coalition building among cities.

The second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly of the UN Environment Program (UNEA-2) recently took place in Nairobi, where UNEA delegations discussed how the world can deliver on the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This year, the event focused strongly on air quality as a central issue in creating a healthy environment with healthy people.

To read Mayor Park's article in full, click here. more   31 May 2016 Programme for Open European Day at Bonn Resilient Cities now availableThe new Open European Day (OED) programme has been released, providing details of how the event will facilitate discussion and exchange of experience on climate resilience between cities. Set to take place in Bonn (Germany) on 5 July, the event will precede the opening of the Resilient Cities conference. Cities contributing to the Open Day include London (United Kingdom), Paris (France), Madrid (Spain), Thessaloniki (Greece), Edinburgh and Newcastle upon Tyne (United Kingdom), Bologna (Italy) and many more.

The OED is supported by key EU projects on climate resilience such as RESIN and PLACARD and by European institutions including the European Investment Bank, DG CLIMA and DG Research. These institutions, together with other key adaptation players, will share information on climate support opportunities for cities and will be available for discussion during the Marketplace session.

Topics to be discussed during the event include climate services, nature-based solutions, mainstreaming adaptation and financing adaptation. The European Environment Agency Report "Urban adaptation to climate change in Europe 2016" will be launched at the evening reception. The event is free of charge and online registration is now available. Places are limited, so early registration is recommended

For more information and to register, click here. more

» Publication Date: 01/06/2016

» Source: Iclei Europe

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