Active participants in ICLEI’s climate campaign, Växjo and Stockholm (Sweden) have joined the pilot phase of the Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC). Cities and towns from Italy, Norway, Sweden, Canada, the United States and India are invited to report on their local climate targets and actions, in particular on low-carbon development and increasing the use of sustainable energy solutions in their communities. An international jury will review these applications later this year, and six national and one Global Earth Hour Capital of the year will be selected. The EHCC aims to demonstrate the leadership role of local governments in the low carbon transition agenda.

ICLEI Europe supports the campaign by reaching out to candidate cities, motivating their registry in the carbonn Cities Climate Registry (cCCR), as the official reporting mechanism for the Challenge. To participate in EHCC local governments need to have completed their first greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory for the community, and to have implemented climate change mitigation actions. All local governments meeting these criteria can enlist, regardless of their size. The deadline to register is 19 November. A video has been produced providing more information on the EHCC.

To inform cities and towns about the Challenge and the cCCR, ICLEI and WWF are organising a series of webinars. View the previous session or register for the next webinars taking place on 2 October. ICLEI Europe will also host a webinar in Italian on 9 October. The EHCC is a great opportunity to showcase local climate mitigation action at the international level through a common reporting platform. Engage in this initiative or signal your interest should your country not be included this year – 2013 will offer an expanded version!

For more information, click here.