Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will be among 20 leaders from the megacities of the world to launch the clean air cities declaration, a set of short and long term commitments towards cleaning the air, in Copenhagen in the second week of October. He will endorse the declaration and pledge to reduce emissions and air pollution within a set timeframe.

CM Kejriwal is expected to share the challenges and successes of Delhi's effort to curb pollution and improve the quality and understand from some of the global best practices in various fields of governance. The delegation from Delhi is likely to participate in several bilateral meetings.

The chief minister is scheduled to attend the C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark between October 9 and 12 . C40 is a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change.

Invited as the leader of one of the world’s largest metropolises, Kejriwal will join leaders of the cities like New York, London, Paris , Los Angeles and Berlin on the high table of urban powerhouses to deliberate on the climate crisis impacting the world.

The CEO of the C40 Summit, Mark Watts will also meet Kejriwal to discuss Delhi's continued participation in the Climate Leadership Group and the ways in which the national capital could play a larger role in fighting climate change.

C40 supports cities to collaborate effectively, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action on climate change. Around the world, C40 connects 94 of the world’s greatest cities to take bold climate action, leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future. Representing 700+ million citizens and one-quarter of the global economy, mayors of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level, as well as to cleaning the air we breathe.

CM Kejriwal is expected to speak on his government’s experience in lowering air pollution in the city and present the set of initiatives taken by the Delhi government that led to the 25% reduction in air pollution in the city.

Kejriwal will also be speaking during the summit on the future plan of action on air pollution. In a session titled 'Breathe Deeply', leaders, experts, and business leaders will discuss the innovative new solutions underway in cities that are improving air quality and creating healthier, more equitable and prosperous communities.

He will also talk about the odd-even scheme, as an innovative solution to the air pollution spike and Delhi government’s massive investment into improving the supply of electricity and other power sector reforms because of which not only was power supply made cheaper, but it also led to a lower emission through diesel-powered generator sets.

