#OnePlanet commitments hold promise for climate and air pollution agendas:

Phasing out coal-powered energy, boosting zero-emissions transport and harnessing the power of local governments to effect change all featured at #OnePlanet, the last major conference on climate change of 2017.

Governments, civil society and the private sector contributed to 12 key commitments at the event in Paris convened by France’s President, Emmanuel Macron.

The commitments are good news for efforts to boost air quality, particularly in cities, the vast majority of which do not meet World Health Organization guidelines on a number of measures.

Cities and local government leaders attended the conference in force, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, former governor of California, leading the charge to cut deaths by air pollution, which currently stand at 9 million people per year– more than AIDS and malaria combined.

The commitments include initiatives and alliances to speed up the transition from fossil fuels (notably, coal) to renewable energy, decarbonize transport systems, and provide easier access to finance for cities and regions in Europe to speed up their transformation to sustainable cities and to boost low-carbon and green public procurement.

Details of the 12 commitments can be found here.