Mayor Walsh to speak in China on Climate Change

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that he has been invited to travel to Beijing, China on June 7 and 8, 2016 to speak at the U.S.-China Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Summit. Mayor Walsh will join a delegation of 20 U.S. cities that will attend the Summit. Organized under the U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group, this summit is an opportunity to exchange best practices between U.S. and Chinese cities, and more than 40 Chinese cities are expected to attend.

"Boston has made significant progress on climate action, and I am honored to share best practices with cities from around the world," said Mayor Walsh. "This summit gives us an incredible opportunity to build on our legacy and learn how we can better protect Boston right now, and for our future generations."  

The 2016 U.S.-China Climate-Smart/Low Carbon Cities Summit is jointly organized by the United States and China and aims to promote the implementation of the U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change made by President Obama and President Xi in 2014, as well as the Paris agreement made in 2015. The summit will expand and deepen the leadership of city and local leaders on climate change and address key low carbon development topics such as carbon trading, air quality improvement, non-motorized transportation, green finance and technology innovation.  

Earlier this year, Mayor Walsh joined the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) Steering Committee, the governing body that provides strategic direction for the network of cities on the front line of preparing for and helping prevent climate change. Mayor Walsh is currently representing all North American cities on the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) Steering Committee.  

Boston joined C40 in 2014 and has made significant progress in the past two years, from the release of the updated Greenovate Climate Action, which sets a clear road map to achieve Boston's greenhouse gas reduction goals of 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050, to receiving an international award for community engagement at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris.  

Just prior to COP21 last year, Boston celebrated its compliance with the Compact of Mayors -- an important measure in achieving its climate commitments by providing a more transparent platform for Boston's climate progress. The Compact of Mayors is a global coalition of over 500 mayors and city officials pledging to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, enhance resilience to climate change, and track their progress transparently, and Boston has been an integral signatory in following through with its commitment.