Stockholm i fokus på högnivåkonferens om klimatet

Finansborgarrådet Sten Nordin (M) deltar idag i en högnivåkonferens om Europas städer och den globala klimatutmaningen. Konferensen är en del av det svenska EU-ordförandeskapet och är tänkt att ge värdefulla bidrag till FN:s klimattoppmöte i Köpenhamn i september. Sten Nordins anförande om Stockholms klimatarbete följer nedan.

DET TALADE ORDET GÄLLER

Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Stockholm!

It is my honour and my true pleasure as Mayor of Stockholm to welcome you to the capital of Sweden. I also would like to take the opportunity to welcome you to the "Capital of Scandinavia". (In view of the current Swedish presidency of the European Union, I am much tempted to welcome you to the capital of Europe as well.)

Stockholm is a city built on 14 islands and home for more than 800 000 inhabitants of many different origins. It is the economic centre of Scandinavia, with the largest gross regional product and the most multinational companies. Economically, the Stockholm region is one of Europe's leading regions with its high concentration of information technology, health care and biotech industry and research.

We are dedicated to further develop our beautiful city to attract people and businesses looking for quality of life for many generations to come. Therefore, I take particular pride in welcoming you to the first European Green Capital. If I may say so, a better venue for this conference simply could not be found!

Stockholm was appointed the first European Green Capital by the European Commission earlier this year. In my presentation I will give you a few examples of why we received this prestigious award.

Stockholm has long had a reputation for being one of the cleanest capital cities in the world. Considering that it is possible to fish or to go for a swim in the waters of the inner city, it is not an undeserved reputation.

But Stockholm too faces many of the environmental challenges that every large city in the world must deal with.

Stockholm is growing and must balance between retaining and developing its unique character, while at the same time be sustainable and an attractive place for people to live and work.

Today we are all facing difficult times. The entire world is in the midst of an economic crisis. However, my firm belief is that consideration of the environment is not an obstacle to economic growth but rather that economic growth is a prerequisite to be able to achieve a sustainable environment combined with continued urbanisation.

Another global issue that has been on the agenda for several years now is the threat of climate change and how to tackle and combat global warming. This highlights the importance and the mutual benefits of interregional cooperation across national borders.

Being selected as the first European Green Capital 2010, we are keen to stay at the forefront by making further environmental improvements, never losing pace in our efforts to enhance our city in a sustainable way.

Maybe I should not say this as the city's Mayor, but the fact is that Stockholm is not unique. Nor is it a utopia. We take pride in our achievements, but they really are within reach of any other European community that truly puts their mind to it. Therefore, we work in the spirit of sharing our know-how with the rest of the world, and we are just as eager to learn from others.

The threat of global warming is by definition a worldwide environmental challenge. But emissions of greenhouse gasses occur locally, as do the effects of an altered climate. Much of the efforts to prevent climate change must be carried out at the local level. Local government and local authorities thus are the key to achieve a sustainable development. However, local governments cannot tackle this task alone. They need national and global support.

This picture illustrates flooding in the Lake Mälaren, very close to the entrance of the Old Town underground station not far from here. This is an indication of the threats posed by global warming. Confronting the climate challenge in a growing city calls for intelligent solutions and cooperation. The Stockholm environmental model is based on the insight that environmental aspects cannot be dealt with piecemeal, that rather they must be integrated throughout.

Stockholm, and I believe all European cities, look forward to an agreement at the COP 15 where the local level is strongly taken into account. Cities are powerful examples of innovative and effective strategies to protect and improve the environment.

We are ready to engage our citizens in implementing the agreement. We are willing to put our city's whole effort to it. But we need an agreement that takes into account our specific needs and conditions.

Being selected as the first European Green Capital is an acknowledgement of Stockholm's long historical track record of integrated urban management, confirmed by present green credentials and ambitious plans for the future.

However, nothing is given forever. We cannot rest on our laurels. Standing still is not an option. We must work in a goal-oriented manner by accepting the challenges and opportunities of a growing major city to secure our future. We have as a city adopted a goal of becoming carbon emission free by the year 2050.

We regard our environmental work as important, not only for the sake of our own city and its inhabitants, but also as a way to share best practices and ideas with other cities. Pollution knows no municipal boundaries and neither do emissions of green house gases. We want to help spreading local solutions and in that way contribute to meet the global challenges of climate change.

The exchange of ideas and experiences across political and cultural borders is essential to peace, progress, and prosperity. This is even more evident in times of crises, such as these. The global financial distress and the threat of global warming are issues that no responsible policy maker or public official can evade. But by pooling our experiences and our efforts, we are all better off in facing the future. And in this, European cooperation is vital.

Thank you!

Presskontakt:
Helena Öman
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076-12 29 222