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The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) launched its “One Planet City Challenge 2019” on Tuesday.

This year the One Planet City Challenge has a new assessment framework based on data from the IPCC, the UN climate panel.

Participating cities will compare their current emissions with the emission reductions necessary to reach the 1.5°C target in a tailor-made analysis.

This will establish the ambition levels required taking into account each city’s level of development.

Local governments that join will receive guidance to carry out impact reduction actions and advise on how best to adapt to the expected impacts of climate change.

“We challenge cities to play their part in tackling climate change. By joining the WWF’s city challenge, cities receive an assessment of their current performance and the most effective steps they can take to get on the path consistent with their stage of development and 1.5 °C of global warming,” Sabina Andrén, programme manager at WWF Cities, said.

The methodology the WWF uses is overseen by international experts. It supports cities at no cost with a powerful tool to give clear feedback.

“This is important not just for decision makers, but also for the engaged citizens rising across the world at this moment,” Andrén added.

The Challenge concludes in 2020 with an international expert jury nominating winners in each participating country.

From those cities, the jury will choose a global winner, the one with the most compatible action plan to 1.5°C.

Việt Nam joined the OPCC in 2015 and saw Huế and Đà Nẵng awarded as National Green City in both 2016 and 2018.

Award-winning cities must have a Carbon and Climate Report featuring outstanding, feasible sustainable development plans and commitments to inspire other cities.

As the home of 55 per cent of the global population, expected to increase to 66 per cent by 2050, cities are already responsible for more than 70 per cent of global CO2 emissions.

They need to both combat and deal with climate change, and leading cities have an important role to play in showing the way forward.

By demonstrating how it is done they can have a major influence on the rest of the world.

“As a country heavily impacted by climate change, Việt Nam needs more cities to rise to the challenge this year and in the coming years, to support local governance, and join hands with other global cities in building a sustainable future for our country and our planet,” Phạm Cẩm Nhung, Energy Program Coordinator, WWF Việt Nam, said.

For limiting global warming to 1.5 °C from the IPCC report, global emissions must halve by 2030 if the goals of the Paris Agreement are to be reached. — VNS