Dear Mr. Watson,
I’m writing about a global initiative I hope Ottawa will be part of in the near future. It’s C40 Cities, a Climate Leadership Group that connects more than 90 of the world’s leading cities with commitment to take ambitious climate action and build a more sustainable future on our Planet. Representing 700+ million citizens and one quarter of the global economy, mayors of C40 cities are committed to taking significant measures to reduce carbon emissions, in line with the Paris Agreement.
On October 9-12, those mayors will meet at C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen to showcase examples of how their cities are already delivering on their strong commitments and accelerate the climate solutions needed for a sustainable, healthier, resilient and inclusive future.
More than 50 cities around the world have now made ambitious commitments to C40’s Green & Healthy Streets Declaration, Advancing Zero Waste Declaration and Net Zero Carbon Buildings Declaration to advance climate action and improve the lives of people everywhere. From Canada, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are currently part of this group; I hope Ottawa will join soon!
With the unprecedented destructive impact of global warming on every aspect of our lives and on our planet, action at all levels, and particularly at the local city level is needed to help restore the ecological balance that human activity has disrupted to dangerous levels. Here in Ottawa, I have founded GentleWays for OurPlanet to do my part to help in this effort. A website and social media platforms are being developed with a launch date in October of this year.
I will be in touch later this fall to introduce more formally GentleWays For OurPlanet, and to propose ways of collaborating with our dear city, in our efforts to create healthier, sustainable and more inclusive societies for all. Thank you for your attention to this very important matter.
Sincerely,
Aïda Warah, Ph.D.