Town Hall COP sets stage for Adelaide's COP31 hopes
South Australian council leaders will gather at Adelaide Town Hall today for the state's first Town Hall COP as the state ramps up its bid to host COP31 next year.
Town Hall COPs are global movements that empower local and regional governments to think nationally and globally about their climate goals.
As Adelaide intensifies its lobbying to host COP31 in November next year, the Greater Adelaide Town Hall COP kick-starts local government's contribution towards a successful summit.
Every Town Hall COP share three fundamental principles:
Town Hall COPs are community-led: The Town Hall COP model is built around the needs and priorities of each community and can be adapted to fit local goals.
Town Hall COPs are nationally relevant: Insights and outcomes from Town Hall COPs can directly inform national plans, support relevant efforts and feed into global climate discussions.
Town Hall COPs are transformation-oriented: Town Hall COPs should highlight the real-world and daily-life connections between climate action and essential community priorities, like health, nature, justice, jobs, and culture at a local level.
Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith said that today South Australian mayors and local government staff will participate in workshops focused on the lead up to and the legacy of COP31.
"The State Government has already done much of the heavy lifting, driving major renewable energy projects and laying the foundations for a low-carbon economy," the Lord Mayor said.
"Now the focus shifts to local councils as the closest arm of government to our communities and their challenges.
"Our communities expect stormwater management to protect against flooding, urban greening that makes our neighbourhoods more liveable and resilience against bushfires.
"With the world waiting to find out if COP31 is coming to Adelaide, local councils must be prepared to make the most of an event of this scale."
Town Hall COP co-hosts ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability were represented in Adelaide by its Deputy Secretary General and ICLEI Oceania Regional Director Kobie Brand.
Kobie said that hosting this Town Hall COP with Adelaide as true partners with ICLEI Oceania will ensure there is clear pathway to feed South Australia's call to action on climate adaptation directly into the UNFCCC process via ICLEI's role as Focal Point for the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency.
“ICLEI as convenor of the Cities and Regions Hub Pavillion at COP30 will be presenting outcomes from the Greater Adelaide Town Hall COP through its channels. Likewise, content from the Adelaide summit will also be presented at the Australian Pavilion at Belem, Brazil.”
