FEDERACION ESPAÑOLA DE MUNICIPIOS Y PROVINCIAS

Abel Caballero CONAMA10 reaffirms the commitment of the Spanish cities for a sustainable world


The President of the Spanish Network of Cities for Climate FEMP, Abel Caballero, has reaffirmed the commitment of municipalities to cooperate with all government, private sector and the wider society, so that the crisis is the breakthrough that will help to bring more liveable cities and a more sustainable world. In this way, the mayor of Vigo has addressed those attending the opening of the National Environmental Congress, CONAMA10, held in Madrid.



Abel Caballero has offered an open and unconditional cooperation of the municipalities of the Red to the Minister for the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, Rosa Aguilar, who also participated at the start of CONAMA10, that the Spanish model continues to work on Red being a reference to cooperation throughout the world.
In his speech, the Mayor, who has come to this Congress, representing the Spanish Network of Cities for Climate FEMP said, taking up the slogan of the meeting that "now more than ever is the time to reflect, analyze and act, "to see what progress has been achieved, what we are doing and where we want to go."
At another point he said that sustainability and combating climate change, "not just a problem of politicians, businesses and government buildings, is a global problem, which involves the whole society," because, he warned, the municipal experience shows there is still resistance in the cities before environmental policies.
Abel Caballero admitted that the Spanish Mayors are aware of how much remains to be done, but also the progress made with the new urbanism or public transport policies implemented in the cities.
The Mayor of Vigo also referred to as the instrument electric car that can become the great urban transport mode and a new way to cities.
Therefore, adding that "the crisis is the time" to turn challenges into opportunities for economic and social progress, changing production patterns, and understanding the life and progress differently.
The President of the Spanish Network of Cities for Climate participated in the opening CONAMA10 with the Minister for the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, Rosa Aguilar, the Minister of Environment of the Community of Madrid, Ana Isabel Mariño, the Second Deputy Mayor of Madrid, Ana Botella, the Brazilian General Director of Itaipu Binational, Jorge Samek, and the President of the Fundación CONAMA, Gonzalo Echagüe.
Green Economy
The Minister for Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, Rosa Aguilar, expressed its clear and firm commitment to promote a sustainable development model that has as main objective the creation of jobs, combating climate change and the rational and supportive resources. During his speech stressed the need to give an answer which would give way to a fair, inclusive and sustainable progress towards a new economy based on ecological principles, can generate new sources of green employment.
Also, the Minister indicated that the threat of climate change highlights the need for a new sustainable growth model is a guarantee of a future with better conditions and opportunities. To achieve this, Rosa Aguilar has expressed its determination to develop active policies to combat climate change, linked to a development model but also to fight against inequality and poverty. At this point, he expressed his commitment to the participation of organizations and groups, which has reached out to develop along an environmental roadmap.
Rosa Aguilar also said that getting a future renewable, clean and efficient passes to meet international targets for 2012 under the Kyoto Protocol, the basis for meeting the targets beyond 2020, to value the rational and sustainable natural resources, creating sustainable jobs, and work with firmness and determination to achieve progress in the Cancun Summit.
Finally, said one obvious consequence of climate change is the loss of biodiversity, to what is necessary to act on national and international agreements. In this regard, he recalled that Spain has led during its presidency of the EU, the EU position in the negotiations of the Summit of Nagoya, which led to a broad consensus of 193 countries, consensus as embodied in the Convention's Strategic Plan for the period 2011 -2020, which defines the overall policy on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.