R20 Regions For Climate Action - Paris Highlights October 2014

by Paige Donner

"I love sequels. I hope there's a Kyoto 2. BUT, we shouldn't wait for Lima or Paris, we should go forward as sub-national governments. In California we never waited. We never hesitated. We didn't do 'No' as an answer. "

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVTggn0QY_c

"Solutions are found in the cities, regions, territories."

"California refuses to tolerate inaction. We believe in perpetual motion. We have declared war on climate change." 

"Threats of ignoring climate change are immense."

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

 

"There is no B plan because there is no B planet." (paraphrasing Ban Ki Moon). 

"The "Terminator" is an Initiator and a Visionary."

"We must think of this issue as Climate Disruption. Not change. Change can be good. What we are seeing now is climate disruption."

"Keep in mind that we are the last generation to be able to act on this issue."

-  Laurent Fabius, French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development

Mary Robinson, Left, Lady in Red

"I've done a lot of work mobilizing women. Let's make this an effort of human solidarity."

"I came to this issue of climate change through the issue of Human Rights; not through science or environmentalism. Food production in Africa is already severely impacted by Climate Disruption, where the population will double by 2050."

"We need a FAIR agreement in Paris (COP 21). Different countries/ regions still have different needs."

"The EU must take its leadership role. There's a moral imperative. "

- Mary Robinson, UN Secretary General's Special Envoy on Climate Change

The newly appointed Executive Director to R20, Christophe Nuttal, takes to the Road To Paris 2015 via both science and human rights. Originally a space engineer, he was then a scientific advisor to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the early 90s. He became the Exec. Dir. of R20 in January 2012.

More recently, he launched the International Multi-Partnerships Initiative on access to basic services, adopted at the 2007 UN-HABITAT Board. 

This initiative was adopted later in 2009 at ECOSOC resulting in listing of access to water as a human right in 2011. 

Terry Tamminen, co-organizer R20, Adviser on Environmental Issues to Mr. Schwarzenegger

All photos and video by Paige Donner copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved.

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Paris Is Always A Good Idea - R20 Regions of Climate Action

by Paige Donner

Speaking this evening from the Palais Bourbon in Paris, Arnold Schwarzenegger said that, "Paris is always a good idea."

He then launched into how pivotal the roles are to be played at regional and city levels for taking action to mitigate climate change now and in the coming decades.

This was the evening cap to the first day of R20, Regions of Climate Action. It was fittingly held at the Assemblée Nationale following the day's panels and speakers at the Palais d'Iéna.

Schwarzenegger illustrated that California is a prime example of how effective and instrumental regions can be. He noted that while he was governor of the Golden State tangible progress - on many levels - to establish a greener economy and infrastructure were successfully put in place and implemented.

R20 Regions o f Climate Action is an international non-profit organization founded by former California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in 2010. Its mission is to help states, provinces, regions, cities and other sub-national governments to develop low-carbon and climate resilient economic development projects, as well as policies and best practices for mitigating climate change. 

Follow R20 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Regions20
and Twitter: @Regions20

All photos by Paige Donner copyright 2014 Paige Donner All Rights Reserved. 

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