site.btaMayors and Experts Discuss How Cities Can Adapt to Climate Change

As part of the programme of the 61st session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, representatives of municipalities, ministries and experts gathered at a conference to discuss the important role of cities for implementing climate change policies.

"Cities are at the centre of the fight against climate change, they must carry out innovations and implement good solutions", said Sofia Deputy Mayor Nikola Barbutov. He poinited out that over 70% of the population in Europe lives in cities and defined Sofia as a green city, adding that the greenery contributes to air quality and that attention should be brought to creating more green spaces in the new neighborhoods of Sofia. "Our goal is to significantly reduce waste disposal", Barbutov said.

In small towns, the problem with solid fuel and coal in winter is very serious, noted Troyan Mayor Donka Mihailova, vice-chair of the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria. According to her, a good practice is retrofitting of buildings because it is a step towards improving energy efficiency. She told the other participants about a Troyan project for planting of orchards and vegetable gardens where organic food is grown for the city's children. Another solution in the fight against climate change that she noted is improving the condition of rivers, as well as flood risk prevention and management.

Regarding the condition of rivers, Radoslava Bekova from the Institute of Oceanology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences said that a recently published study indicated that less than 20% of rivers in Europe are in a natural state. She pointed out that heavy modification of river beds leads to loss of habitats and biodiversity and that stopping the pollution in rivers is key to improving the condition of the rivers.

Daniela Alexieva, Manager of Innovation Systems Burgas argued that innovations are important for adapting cities to climate changes. In Burgas, projects and activities are actively being developed, which are related to citizens contributing to solving problems related to their lives in the urban environment, she said. The creation of a new climate board is one of the goals of Burgas Municipality, with experts and interested parties invited to join the initiative.

Dr Philippe Tulkens, Head of the Climate and Planetary Boundaries Unit at the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, said that science must be relied upon to develop climate policies and that all policies must be discussed with local residents, who need to be convinced that the measures are necessary. 

The event was opened by Environment and Water Minister Petar Dimitrov. Deputy Energy Minister Krasimir Nenov also took part.