THANE: An international conference titled, 'Cities, Local Bodies and Climate Change' will be held here in January next year aimed at discussing how cities and local bodies can contribute to 'climate action', a senior civic official has said.
The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) will host the conference in which all aspects of climate change and global warming will be discussed by experts from world over, TMC Commissioner Nandakumar Jantre said.
Jantre has just returned from the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2008 in Poznan, Poland, where he represented India and addressed delegates on the role of cities and local authorities with respect to climate change.
The Poznan Conference advocated the need for an ambitious post-2012 climate mechanism that should also recognise the crucial role of cities and local governments in climate action, he said.
Cities are home to 50 per cent of the world population. Due to rapid urbanisation, two thirds of humanity will live in urban centres by 2030 and cities would consume upto 80 per cent of all energy and account for upto 80 per cent of the population's production of greenhouse gases, Jantre said.
We (civic bodies) are the key to switching our communities into sustainable energy economies and applying renewable and high efficiency technologies to reduce dependence on fossil and nuclear fuels, he said.
If we are genuinely empowered, we have the potential to lead on climate action and can help ensure that ambitious reduction targets are met, Jantre added.
