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Climate change: What are the regions doing?

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The 2015 edition of EUobserver's Regions & Cities magazine focuses on climate change and what cities and regions are doing.

euobserver I’ll walk

euobserver I’ll walk By Peter Teffer EDITORIAL ADDRESS EUobserver Magazine Rue Belliard 18b 1040 Brussels Belgium contact@euobs.com Editor Lisbeth Kirk Editorial contributors Peter Teffer, Nikolaj Nielsen, Paulina Pacula, Eric Maurice ARTICLE LAYOUT It is not a very Dutch thing to do, but I have given up on riding a bicycle in Brussels. I was already getting annoyed by the lack of dedicated cycle lanes, waiting behind car exhausts and being obliged to wear a reflective space suit and helmet, when the bike broke. I’ll walk. The unfriendly atmosphere that cyclists sometimes face in the European capital was illustrated earlier this year by a sadly hilarious video entitled ‘Brussels Bike Jungle’. ADVERTISING EUobserver Magazine Rue Montoyer 18B 1000 Brussels Belgium Filip Lugovic fl@euobs.com Daniele Castaldelli dc@euobs.com PRINT Drukkerij Van der Poorten DISTRIBUTION EUobserver Magazine Rue Montoyer 18B 1000 Brussels Belgium Meg Chang mc@euobs.com PRICE PER COPY €4,75 + postage, excl vat / discounts on larger purchases PUBLISHER EUobserver.com ASBL www.euobserver.com MAKING SENSE OF THE EU EUobserver is an independent online newspaper which values free thinking and plain speech. We aim to support European democracy by giving people the information they need to hold the EU establishment to account. HIGH QUALITY JOURNALISM EUobserver is a non-profit organisation established in Brussels in 2000. It is financially and editorially independent of the EU institutions. Our team of experienced journalists file daily news reports from the EU capital and do in-depth investigations on topics of special interest. If you want EUobserver to look into a specific issue, please contact our editors. We protect our sources. Cover photo © Joe deSousa However, the situation may change: the Brussels Region has recently announced it will construct 80 kilometres of cycle lanes in the next three years. Which is not only good for spoiled Dutch cyclists, but also for the world’s climate. All over Europe, cities and regions are introducing policies that have either as a main goal, or a side-effect, a reduction of their greenhouse gas emissions. These gases are responsible for global warming, a phenomenon which, if not curbed, may make life a constant struggle for survival in those same cities and regions. Ahead of the all-important climate talks in Paris at the end of this year, many organisations and government layers are announcing they will do their share: climate pledges are popping up left, right and centre. The Compact of States and Regions, which in Europe includes the Basque Country, Catalonia, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Lombardy, Rhone- Alpes, Scotland and Wales, promised it would reduce CO2 emissions by 7.9 gigatonnes by 2030 (the equivalent of the annual emissions of 2,000 coal-fired power plants). When this magazine went to print, 4,821 mostly European cities and towns had submitted action plans as part of their membership of the Covenant of Mayors. The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate calculated that with currently existing measures, by 2030, the world’s cities could reduce annual emissions by 3.7 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent. Oh, and they would save around €15 trillion between now and 2050. That should be enough for a couple of bike lanes. 02 ––––– EUobserver Magazine 2015

PHOTOSSERIES How climate change may affect Europe's cities and regions Air pollution in Paris, 2013 Photo: Damián Bakarcic Floods in eastern and southern German states, 2013 Photo: Michel Vorsprach Drought in Lake Constance Switzerland, 2011 Photo:Kecko Drought Wilberfoss, UK, 2012 Photo: Keith Laverack Forest fires in Valenca in Portugal, 2010 Photo: Elentir EUobserver Magazine 2015 ––––– 03

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