Mayor Kate Gallego shares Phoenix’s success at UN Climate Summit

PHOENIX – Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego while at the U.N. Climate Summit in Scotland last week shared climate solutions the city is working on.

The summit brings together mayors from all over the world to talk about what cities are doing to combat climate change.

“It turns out that there are a lot of European companies that are doing amazing things – helping buildings manage their energy that reduces greenhouse emissions and your power bill,” Gallego told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.

She said the highlight of the trip was making connections with foreign companies that can bring more green jobs to the city.

“They are looking for a place to locate in the United States and were really excited about Phoenix,” Gallego said, adding she worked closely with a forestry nonprofit that seemed to be very interested in making a major gift in Phoenix to help the city plant trees.

Gallego during her time at the summit shared Phoenix’s success with investments in solar, the ASU partnership and cool pavement program, as well as the creation of green jobs.

She also got to work hand-in-hand with the mayors of Los Angeles, Paris, and Bogota, Colombia, to put together a coalition of 1,049 cities that are committed to net-zero just like Phoenix.

“It was wonderful for us to be able to announce that to the entire United Nations,” Gallego said.

“We were the first big announcement of the conference and really set momentum for the fact that cities are getting it done.”

Gallego also shared that announcement with Prince Charles’s nonprofit known as, “The Sustainable Markets Initiative.”

The summit began on Oct. 31 and runs through Friday.

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