CANADIAN DECLARATION
ON CLIMATE CHANGE

AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

INTRODUCTION

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The significant risks posed by global warming to the natural and buils environments and
lo furure human generasions require a response sufficient to stabilize and to reduce
emissions of greenhouse gases into the asmosphere as soon as possible. It is equally .
importans to protect global biomass resources, such as foresis and phytoplankton which
play an essential role in the earth's carbon cycle.

The abatement of fossil fuel emissions sufficient to stabilize concentrations of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere will require policies and initiatives based on a thorough

understanding of the urban environment as an energy system.

Local authorities, working closely with each other and with their national governments
and international agencies, will play a vital role in reducing the energy intensities of
urban environments and their greenhouse gas emissions, and can thereby contribute
significantly to the implementation of the Framework Convention en Climate Change.
The main objective of the Convention is a commitment that developed nations make
towards limiting their emission of CO, and other greenhouse gases by aiming to return
to their earlier 1990 levels by the end of the decade. Other provisions potentiaily

relevant so municipalities include: |

establishment of a Conference of Parties as the supreme body of the Convension,
which will meet to consider progres’ of the Parties in implementing the
Convention within one year after the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate
Change enters into force;

establishmens of various initiatives to be carried out by the parties to support
international and intergovernmental efforts in the areas of research, education,
training, and public awareness;

the provision of “joint implementation” wherein Parties to the Convention may
enter into joint policies and measures that aim to reduce CO, or greenhause gas
emissions individually or jointly, thereby allowing the equivalent of “emissions
trading * among the parties. So

Municipal action will even have io go a step further than to contribute to smplementing the
Framework Convention. Of equal importance is the abatement of pollution particularly to toxic
substances which damage biomass resources that play a vital role in the earth's carbon cycle.