Pehli bar United Nations Climate Change Conference mein mulk, presidents, aur prime ministers ke alawa shehron aur governors ko moqa diya jayega ke woh seedha mulk aur international leaders se mawakhat karen, aur dikhayen ke “subnational” hukumaton ne pehle hi wo halat tay kiye hain jo humein zaroorat hain. Is waqt ka behtar nahi ho sakta.
DUBAI – Mulk, presidents, aur prime ministers – ye log hote hain jo har saal ke United Nations Climate Change Conference mein sab se ziada headlines aur media attention hasil karte hain. Lekin pichle das saal se aur kam shor-o-shararat ke saath, shehron, states, aur regional hukumaton (jo “subnationals” kehlaye jate hain) ne Paris climate agreement ke mashwaron ko amal mein laaya hai, hatta ke jab unke mulk ke hukumat nahi karti. Iska matlab hai ke woh locally emissions kam karne ke liye clean-energy systems aur dosre shehri naviinat par paisa kharch kar rahe hain, aur jo kaam karta hai, woh C40 aur Global Covenant of Mayors jaise networks ke zariye share kar rahe hain taake barhne wale scale par taraqqi ko tezi se barhaya ja sake.
Khushi ki baat ye hai ke is saal ka UN conference Dubai mein (COP28) ek historic pehlu layega jo ke ummeed hai ke climate change par tezi se taraqqi hogi. Pehli Local Climate Action Summit mayors aur governors ko ekathay karayega ke woh seedha mulk aur international leaders se mawakhat karain, aur dikhayen ke shehrein solutions ko kaise drive kar rahi hain aur jo ideas bana rahi hain, woh duniya bhar mein kaise adopt ho rahe hain.
Is breakthrough ke liye waqt behtar nahi ho sakta. UN ne haal hi mein apna pehla official report card jari kiya hai jo duniya ne COP15 se le kar Paris mein ki taraqqi ka jazba dekhta hai. Ye dikhata hai ke 1.5°C pre-industrial levels se global warming ko control karne ke liye aur ziada urgent aur daring action ki zarurat hai – jo climate change ke bure asarat ko rokne ke liye zaruri hai.
Freetown jaise shehrein, jo climate change ke asarat se bohat mutasir hain (jis mein extreme garmi, jo kabhi kam nahi hoti, se le kar bina warning ke aane wale barish aur zameen chappar phatne shaamil hain), wo duniya ke leaders ko apne iraday ko barhane ke liye dabaw dalna chahti hain – aur shehron ko mazeed taraqqi karne ke liye taqat dena chahti hain.
Freetown ne dikhaya hai ke shehrein kaise innovative action ke zariye misaal qayam kar sakti hain. Jab urbanization ne iske 70% darakhton ko mita diya, to shehar ne ek program shuru kiya ke logon ko hari coverage ko restore karne mein shamil kare, jo shadeed garmi ke asarat ko kam karta hai. Freetown ke jawan log is campaign mein ek million darakhton ko 2024 tak lagane ka hissa hain, aur unka hissa yahi tak mehdood nahi hai. Jawan log Freetown ke Community Disaster Management Committees mein behtar tor par shamil hain aur unhone apni jamaat ki taqat ko shehar ke Transform Freetown Agenda mein dal di hai (jis mein tree-planting bhi shamil hai).
Freetown akela nahi hai. Philippines mein, Quezon City ne sustainable urban gardens aur farms ka ek network banaya hai jo shehri rehaishiyon mein khadamat ki kami ko hal karta hai aur traditional farming ke emissions ko kam karta hai. Lima, Peru mein, civic leaders ne ek climate-change plan tay kiya hai jo ke area ke ecosystems ko bachane ke liye nahi sirf muqarrar karta hai, balki jo chhote tabdile hain – park se park, bagh se bagh – jo shehri manazir mein badi scale ki behtarias mein izafah karte hain. Isne shehar ke bachon ke play, learn, aur live hone wale areas mein hawa ki quality ko monitor aur behtar karna ke liye ek kamyab koshish bhi shuru ki hai.
Is tarah se aur bhi tareeqon mein, shehrein global leaders ko dikharahe hain ke asal taraqqi kaise hoti hai. Lekin shehron ko sirf misaal ke tor par nahi dekha jana chahiye; balki unhein climate change se niptane ke global maqsad mein zaroori partners ke tor par bhi daikha jana chahiye.
Ye aam tor par nahi hota. Hatta ke jahan mulki leaders ne apni multilevel governance mein imaan izhar kiya hai, policy frameworks aksar mahaul aur ilaqaai climate efforts ke liye bezaar hotay hain, jisse unhein sabit hulat nazar andaz karte hain. COP28 aur aglay salon mein, local leaders ko discussion mein barabar ka awaz aur wo resources milne chahiye jo decisive action lene ke liye zaroori hain.
Asal partnership national aur subnational governments ke darmiyan ek chabi ban sakti hai jo ke ek musalsal flow of climate financing ko khol sakta hai. Saath milke, local aur national leaders global institutions, including the UN, multilateral development banks, aur governments par zor dene mein kaafi ziada asar daal sakte hain, jo climate-finance solutions ko tezi se barhane ke liye zariya hai.
Duniya ke mayors ab milke is message ko ek mukhlis awaz ke saath dena shuru kar rahe hain. Is liye, COP28 Local Climate Action Summit ke liye, C40 ne apne leadership model ko modernize kiya hai ke sirf ek chair ki bajaye ab do chairs hain. Network ab London aur Freetown ke mayors ki co-chairship par hai, jo ke duniya ke logon ki taajurbat aur malumat ko behtar tor par darust karta hai.
COP28 London Mayor Sadiq Khan ke leadership par amal mein