World Urban Forum V, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Round Table for Parliamenarians on the WUF5

On 23 March 2010 Peter Götz chaired the Round Table for Parliamentarians on the World Urban Forum V of the United Nations, which was held by UN-Habitat from 22 to 26 March 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Over 20 000 participants from around the world had registered for the forum.

With almost 100 participants, the panel discussion chaired by Götz was very well attended. Besides the State Minister of Construction and Urban Development from India, Saugata Roy, and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Dr. Anna Tibaijuka, a total of 20 Parliamentarians contributed to the discussion.

The parliamentarians discussed "climate change and human settlements". In his speech, Götz demanded that, before the background that by the mid-21st Century, two-thirds of the world's population would be living in cities, that 75 percent of energy consumption and about 80 percent of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide already go on the account of cities and that urban areas have been proven to be the biggest cause of climate change, it should be in urban areas that climate change should be countered the most efficiently. Götz considered the measures to increase the energy efficiency of buildings to be a good example of possible climate-friendly actions in cities.

Götz pointed out the special responsibility and role of parliamentarians: "We have the responsibility and the ability to create a framework for a climate-friendly world through legislation. The most important resource for climate protection is the political will”.

The world is growing ever closer. How much CO2 is emitted in Germany, has an impact on the climate in Brazil, and vice versa. "International challenges can be addressed and answered only by a good international cooperation" Götz was convinced.