Below you can find some of the most popular news stories from the ICLEI World Congress´media coverage

Global cities vow stronger climate change efforts

The Korea Herald – Published on 7 April 2015, 8:36 pm

Representatives of more than 200 cities from around the world are gathering to pledge stronger efforts against climate change at a global environment assembly to be held in Seoul from Wednesday.

credits: Yonhap

Seoul City is hosting the five-day International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives World Congress 2015 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, eastern Seoul, in an aim to urge better cooperation for a sustainable future. It is the first time a Korean city has held the ICLEI’s flagship assembly. ICLEI, the world’s largest municipality network comprised of over 1,000 cities from 87 countries, seeks collective efforts to lead a sustainable future and curb global climate change. Launched in 1990, the organization has focused on cutting carbon emissions. Over 50 Korean cities have joined the international body, including Seoul, Incheon, Busan and Jeju City.
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Five reasons cities are key to solving climate change

RTCC – Published on 8 April 2015, 3:11 pm

Mayors and officials from more than 200 cities worldwide are gathering in Seoul this week to talk urban sustainability at the ICLEI World Congress. They won’t be the people negotiating a global climate deal in Paris this December. But they have arguably more power to make climate action happen. As Won-soon Park, mayor of Seoul and incoming president of ICLEI puts it: “A president talks about principles, but a mayor collects garbage”. Here are five reasons cities are essential in global efforts to slash emissions and protect people from the impacts of climate change.
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Compact of Mayors gains further momentum at ICLEI World Congress

National Geographic – Published on 9 April 2015

At the ICLEI World Congress in Seoul today, 35 leading cities, including Johannesburg, Paris and Seoul, announced their intent to comply with the Compact of Mayors – the global effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions, track progress and prepare for the impacts of climate change. The news gives further momentum to the burgeoning movement, which added 20 new cities at the C40 Latin America Mayors Forum last month. The progress underscores the role of cities in helping nations set and achieve aggressive climate targets, on the road to the Paris and beyond.
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Biggest ICLEI congress in 25 years opens in Seoul

Korea JoongAng Daily – Published on 9 April 2015

credits: NEWSIS

Seoul is hosting the largest-ever congress of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a global association of local governments and organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development, through Sunday. The ICLEI World Congress 2015, which began its five-day schedule on Wednesday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in central Seoul, is being attended by about 1,550 participants including 227 mayors and elected leaders of 251 local governments around the world. Also, 87 percent of the council members are present.
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Mayors united on emissions cut

The Korea Herald – Published on 9 April 2015, 8:16 pm

credits: Seoul Metropolitan Government

The world’s largest municipality network on Thursday pledged stronger efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for a sustainable future at a congress held in Seoul. More than 200 city representatives adopted the Seoul Declaration to outline the priorities for sustainable urban development at the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives World Congress.
With two main principles ― cutting carbon emissions and pursuing sustainable urban development ― the cities vowed to make eco-friendly and economically sustainable municipalities.
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Why we need solutions at scale to solve today’s urban challenges

The City Fix – Published on 9 April 2015

The world has never been more urban than it is now, and this trend isn’t expected to slow down anytime soon. By 2050, the world will have grown by 2.5 billion additional urban dwellers, with almost all of this growth occurring in cities in the developing world. According to 2014’s Better Growth, Better Climate report, the world will need to invest about $50 trillion in infrastructure every year for 15 years to keep up with demand. India, for example, is estimated to need 350 to 400 kilometers of new metro and subway lines every year—20 times what it’s achieved in the past decade. While this is a tall order, it also presents great opportunities to improve our cities. To ensure that these investments result in communities that are productive, livable and sustainable, we have to change how we build, manage, and use our cities.
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World mayors rally for climate change action

REMI Network – Published on 10 April 2015

A leading network of urban sustainability leaders, including more than 100 mayors and elected officials in cities across the world, recently gathered in Seoul, Korea to adopt the Seoul Declaration, which outlines measures to target municipal climate change action. The seven-point plan was released at the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), Local Governments for Sustainability World Congress 2015, as a means to rally for more global support. The Declaration states that municipal leaders will “promote city-to-business cooperation platforms, and will partner with the WBCSD [World Business Council on Sustainable Development] to institutionalize new local government-business cooperation models”.
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Bristol takes the world stage as leading sustainable city

Noodls – Published on 10 April 2015, 4:00 pm

As European Green Capital 2015, Bristol is forging relationships with cities across the world to work on common challenges such as climate change and identify future opportunities that will bring jobs and growth to the city. Mayor George Ferguson is centre stage at the ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) World Congress in Seoul in South Korea (8-12 April). The event brings together world cities to discuss and take forward sustainable solutions in the build up to the United Nations Climate Summit in Paris at the end of the year.
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World mayors call for prompt action to fight climate change

The Korea Herald – Published on 10 April 2015, 8:29 pm

The world’s largest network of municipalities on Friday adopted an action plan aimed at taking prompt measures against climate change at a congress held in Seoul. The Seoul Action Plan was released by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon to gather more global support at the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives World Congress. The plan, a follow-up to the Seoul Declaration adopted a day before, urged tight cooperation between cities through three major global municipality networks ― ICLEI, United Cities and Local Government and C40 Cities-Climate Leadership Group ― to better tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
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100 Mayors Adopt Seoul Declaration for Sustainable Cities

Environment News Service – Published on 10 April 2015, 1:29 am

credits: Office of the Mayor

SEOUL, South Korea, April 9, 2015 (ENS) – Over 100 mayors and elected leaders today adopted the Seoul Declaration, which details how they intend to make their cities sustainable.
The Seoul Declaration for Sustainable Cities is one of the major outcomes of the ongoing four-day ICLEI World Congress 2015 – the largest gathering of urban sustainability leaders worldwide.
ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, a network of over 1,000 cities, towns and metropolises, is committed to building a sustainable future. By helping member cities to be sustainable, low-carbon, resilient, biodiverse, resource-efficient, healthy and happy, with a green economy and smart infrastructure, ICLEI affects more than 20 percent of the world’s urban population.
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นครหาดใหญ่ คว้ารางวัล National Earth Hour Capital 2015 จากWWF

credits: ThaiPR.Net

ThaiPR.NET – Published on 10 April 2015, 12:59 pm

เทศบาลนครหาดใหญ่ จ.สงขลา คว้ารางวัลชนะเลิศ “เมืองยั่งยืนต้นแบบระดับประเทศ” หรือ “National Earth Hour Capital” ของประเทศไทยในกิจกรรม “เมืองนี้ฉันรัก (We Love Cities)” ในโครงการ “ปลุกเมืองให้โลกเปลี่ยน”หรือ “Earth Hour City Challenge” ประจำปี 2015 และจะเป็นตัวแทนประเทศไทยเข้าประกวดเมืองต้นแบบของโลกสำหรับรางวัล “Global Earth Hour Capital” ซึ่งจะมีการประกาศผลและมอบรางวัลในวันที่ 9 เมษายนนี้ ที่การประชุม ICLEI World Congress 2015 ณ กรุงโซล ประเทศเกาหลีใต้
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Climate change concerns top agenda of ICLEI congress

SciDev.Net – Published on 10 April 2015

[SEOUL] The world will be facing intense environment-related problems in the next 30 years that would take away part of the productive capacities of countries and cause slower global growth.
This was the prognosis of Jorgen Randers, a professor of climate strategy at BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo, during the opening on Thursday (9 April) of the five-day International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) World Congress in Seoul. The ICLEI is a global association of local governments and organisations that was established in 1990 when representatives of more than 200 local governments from 43 countries gathered at the World Congress of Local Governments for a Sustainable Future at the UN in New York.
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Interview: Broad prospects expected in urbanization cooperation between China, S. Korea

English.news.cn – Published on 10 April 2015, 10:21 am

SEOUL, April 10 (Xinhua) — In the context of the implementation of China’s new-type urbanization plan, broad prospects could be expected on urbanization cooperation between China and South Korea in future, said a Chinese urban development official. Li Tie, director general of China Center for Urban Development under China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), made these remarks in an exclusive interview with Xinhua after making a keynote speech in the sub-plenary “Challenges and opportunities of urban China” of the International Council for local Environmental Initiative (ICLEI) World Congress 2015.
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Vancouver commits to run on 100% renewable energy

The Guardian – Published on 10 April 2015, 11.38 am

Vancouver has become the latest city to commit to running on 100% renewable energy. The city of 600,000 on Canada’s west coast aims to use only green energy sources for electricity, and also for heating and cooling and transportation. Cities and urban areas are responsible for 70-75% of global CO2 emissions and that’s where “real action on climate will happen” said Park Won-Soon, Mayor of Seoul, South Korea at the ICLEI World Congress 2015, the triennial sustainability summit of local governments where Vancouver made the announcement.
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100 mayors adopt ‘Seoul Declaration’ on climate change

RTCC – Published on 11 April 2015, 6:41 am

Mayors from the US, China and Europe pledged today to cut urban greenhouse gas emissions and promote biodiversity by the of the decade.
The 7-point Seoul Declaration – agreed at the ICLEI World Congress – a meeting to promote sustainable cities, commits signatories to “innovative and transformative sustainable urban development”.
Megan Darby, who’s reporting from the meeting for RTCC, asked ICLEI secretary general Gino van Begin about the significance of this document.
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Mayors Commit to Climate Action Ahead of Paris Conference

IISD – Published on 11 April 2015

The ICLEI World Congress 2015, the triennial sustainability summit of local and subnational governments worldwide, led to a number of climate announcements intended to increase local climate action. The Congress brought together over 3000 participants, including over 100 mayors from around the world, and boasted the largest number of participants at a Congress to date, with many others attending virtually via a live stream.
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As it happened: 35 cities join Compact of Mayors on climate change

RTCC – Published on 11 April 2015, 06:38 am

credits: Megan Darby

1237 – It’s wrapping up now and I will take my leave. This afternoon there are trips arranged to various green sites in Seoul. To recap, we have seen 35 cities sign up to the Compact of Mayors, which demands they reveal and report on their climate action plans. Seoul shared its plans to save or generate cleanly one nuclear power plant’s worth of energy, as a starting point to cut emissions 40% from 2005 levels by 2030.
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Seoul leads new network of cities on sustainable procurement

Cities Today – Published on 13 April 2015

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and ICLEI – local governments for sustainability, have partnered to create a network of leading cities that will share and develop their capabilities to implement sustainable and innovative procurement. Launched during the ICLEI World Congress in Seoul, five cities from three continents pledged their support, including Seoul, Cape Town, Helsinki, Ghent and Rotterdam, with the long-term aim of increasing the network to 10 cities from all continents.
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Cities Emerge as Climate Leaders at World Congress But Still Need More Government Support

DeSmog Canada – Published on 13 April 2015, 10:02 am

Cities are responsible for 70 per cent of global CO2 emissions but they can save the planet by greening one community at a time said Vancouver’s David Cadman at the close of the ICLEI World Congress 2015, the triennial sustainability summit of local governments in Seoul, South Korea. “We can do it. We must do it,” Cadman, the retiring president of Local Governments for Sustainability, told some 1,500 delegates from nearly 1,000 cities and local governments in 96 countries on April 11.
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Mayors adopt Seoul Declaration for sustainable, smart cities

DownToEarth – Published on 13 April 2015

Around 100 mayors from around the world met recently and adopted the Seoul Declaration during the ICLEI World Congress 2015. ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) is an international association of local governments committed towards sustainable development. The Seoul Declaration is important as it charts out the path to urban sustainability. It underlines the serious issues that our cities are facing at present and how they can change for a better future.
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2015 ICLEI落幕 首爾「11項承諾」激勵城市訂永續策略

Yahoo! News Taiwan – Published on 13 April 2015, 11:14 am

【2015 ICLEI全球城市氣候環境大會在首爾‧系列報導‧4】本報2015年4月13日首爾訊，特約記者李育琴報導

隨著首爾市提出被譽為韓國的京都議定書「首爾11項承諾」，ICLEI與會的城市首長除了在大會中表達支持，認同首爾市新的減碳目標和策略，也激勵彼此回國後制定各自城市的永續策略。
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朴元淳：市民是城市开展环保活动的动力

China Economic Net – Published on 13 April 2015, 09:56 am

原标题：市民是城市开展环保活动的动力

——访韩国首尔市市长朴元淳

4月8日，倡导地区可持续发展国际理事会（ICLEI）2015世界大会在首尔东大门设计广场（DDP）开幕。本届大会的主题是“为了城市未来的可持续解决方案”，有来自87个国家203座城市的代表团参加。9日，大会正式发表《首尔宣言》，与会的所有成员城市通过宣言作出了减排温室气体的承诺。为了解此次大会举办城市在气候变化和环境保护方面所做出的努力，科技日报记者采访了ICLEI新任主席、首尔市市长朴元淳。
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Transformative Climate Action Unveiled Ahead of Paris Conference

Iowa Ag Connection – Published on 16 April 2015

Major climate announcements that will bring new levels of ambition to local climate action were made at the ICLEI World Congress 2015 — the triennial sustainability summit of local and subnational governments worldwide. Thirty-six leading mayors announced their intent to comply to the new Compact of Mayors – the global coalition of mayors and city leaders voluntarily making commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions, track progress and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
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Seberang Prai council achieves record-breaking milestone

The Malaysian Insider – Published on 18 April 2015, 12:30 pm

credits: Looi Sue-Chern

Penang’s Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) has earned a place in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) for achieving ISO standard in five areas. On April 13, MPSP received confirmation from MBR that it had been entered into the records as the first local council to obtain five certifications – ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems (QMS); ISO 14001:2004 Environment Management System (EMS); ISO 50001:2011 Energy Management Systems (EnMS); OHSAS 18001:2007 Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series for health and safety management systems; and 5S Quality Environment Management System (QEMS).
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