Quezon City on Tuesday became one of 31 cities all over the world to commit to a global bid for greener cities, promising to "significantly expand, restore, and invest in trees, parks and green spaces" in the country’s most populous city by 2030.
As lone signatory from the Philippines, Mayor Joy Belmonte pledged to address the climate crisis at the local government level through the C40 Urban Nature Declaration, which she signed alongside mayors of other megacities like Paris, Rome, and Tokyo.
The agreement commits to ensure that by 2030, nine years from the present, 30% to 40% of Quezon City will have been filled with street trees, urban forests and parks to counter extreme heat; as well as sustainable urban drainage systems that will ensure flood-resilience.
The committment also involves making sure vulnerable communities are top priority, with some 70% of the city population given access to green or blue public spaces within a 15-minute walk or bike ride by the same target period.
"These investments in nature will speed up existing efforts to make communities healthier, improve air quality and help protect cities from the increasingly severe impacts of the climate crisis, such as extreme heat, flooding and drought." C40 said.
As a global network that comprises 97 of the world’s megacities, C40 supports local governments in taking bold actions against climate change, helping them initiate their own contributions to meeting the demands of the 2016 Paris Agreement.
The Philippines, as one of the world's most vulnerable nations to the climate crisis, signed and ratified the agreement in 2017, committing to cut carbon emissions by 70% by 2030.
Study after study has shown that equitable access to urban nature is beneficial for both people and the environment; and helps cities to adapt and respond to the current and future impacts of climate change, C40 said.
“Supporting and protecting cities’ natural ecosystems is one of our most important tools for building resiliency against the climate crisis and creating the healthy, inclusive urban communities we deserve. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we were reminded that accessible, green spaces are essential for livable, climate ready and crisis prepared cities,” said Mark Watts, C40 Cities Executive Director.
The COVID-19 crisis, which dramatically changed urban life in the last year, is said to highlight man's increasingly destructive relationship with nature.
In March 2020, Quezon City also signed on to C40's Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force that advocates for the delivery of a green and just recovery from the pandemic.
"The lessons from this most challenging year are clearer: delivering a green and just recovery to the COVID-19 crisis; creating strong, fair economies that serve everyone; and cutting greenhouse-gas emmissions quickly enough to tackle the climate crisis," Mayor Belmonte had said during C40's Climate Ambition Summit in December 2020.
“Growing our urban forests and restoring our natural ecosystems are vital to the health of our cities – bringing cooler temperatures, cleaning our air, and making our communities more beautiful,” C40 Chair and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
“The C40 Urban Nature Declaration is a reminder of the obligation we have to restore the natural world around us, and an example of how Mayors are leading with climate solutions that strengthen communities hit hardest by the climate emergency," Garcetti added.
The full list of cities (apart from QC) that signed the Urban Nature Declaration are as follows: Athens (Greece), Austin (Texas, U.S.), Barcelona (Spain), Berlin (Germany), Bogotá (Colombia), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Copenhagen (Denmark), Curitiba (Brazil), Durban (South Africa), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Guadalajara (Mexico), Haifa (Israel), Lima (Peru), London (UK), Los Angeles (Calinfornia, U.S.), Medellín (Colombia), Milan (Italy), Mumbai (India), New Orleans (Louisiana, U.S.), Paris (France), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rome (Italy), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Salvador (Brazil), Seattle (Washington, U.S.), Stockholm (Sweden), Sydney (Australia), Tel Aviv (Israel), Tokyo (Japan) and Toronto (Canada).
