Local governments recognized as key actors against climate change in Cancun

The international climate negotiations held in Cancun on 29th November - 10th December ended up with an agreement that gives hope to reaching a global post-Kyoto agreement in the next negotiations in Durban, South Africa.

What was agreed on was forest protection and the establishment of a Green Fund to deliver funding to developing countries. The agreement also officially recognises that the goal should be to halt global climate change to 2°C. Although there was still no agreement on emission cuts, the result can still be considered as a milestone for the negotiations.

Local governments have been struggling to get their voice heard in the global climate negotiations. After all, it's them that implement the agreed mitigation or adaptation measures in practice. As the press release by ICLEI puts it, "Local governments have to deal with the problem as it’s on their door step – whether there is a global agreement between national governments or not". In Cancun, local governments were finally recognized by states as governmental stakeholders and got observer status which nine other groups such as farmers, youth or women's organisations have earlier obtained.

Photo: Jan Golinski, UNFCCC