International mayors and town leaders signed an agreement on Sunday (November 21) to reduce greenhouse emissions as they wrapped up a summit held in Mexico City.

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said local governments have a critical role in combating global warming.

“We want the heads of state, the heads of governments due in 10 days in Mexico, to know that we are (not just) demanding, constructive partners but inevitable. There will not be progress in the fight against climate change if the local governments are not taken seriously,“ Delanoe said during the meeting which started on Friday (November 19).

Istanbul Mayor and Co-President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Kadir Topbas said the leaders must monitor emissions of private companies operating within their municipalities.

“We need to be sensitive to carbon emissions, especially in large institutions-- their recycling systems must be implemented because if they don't do it, we need to take away the licenses of those institutions and companies that don't use their systems effectively because it's a financial weight and they only operate during the hours of production and, outside the hours of productions, they don't operate their filters. Local governments, individual companies and people must be consistent about tackling this problem because the planet is sending us signs that we should make better use of resources,“ he said.
© Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.