Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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I'm here with the chairman of C40 Cities, a group that's very active here in the early days of this COP 30 summit. Let me start by asking about the role of mayors in this conversation. We in the U.S. know well that the president has expressed more than skepticism about climate change. I hadn't noticed. There you go.
What's the role of mayors here and how do you see this conversation evolving over the next three weeks?
Well, there's a huge amount of energy and dynamism and hope here in Rio because this is also a gathering of C40, the World Mare Summit's taking place in Rio. And we've got great stories to tell about how in cities across the globe,
including some states in the USA, we've been tackling the climate emergency, creating great jobs, improving air quality, and showing that we are the doers at a time when many national leaders are the delayers and the deniers.
It's always a parlor game of how big a deal a COP 30 is going to be. Set the expectations for us in terms of what we'll get out of this at the end of it.
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Chapter 2: What is the significance of COP30 for global cities?
Keir Starmer will be here. Keir Starmer will be here. The Prime Minister will be here. He does not think the climate change catastrophe is a scam. He does believe the science is really important, but also it's really important that he's here because it sends a message. We take it seriously.
Chapter 3: How do mayors play a role in climate change discussions?
What I want to do is turn this crisis into an opportunity, but also it's going to be a joint endeavor. It should be everyone in government. The new homes we need to build, they should be energy efficient. They should be built in a way that they are cooler in summer, warmer in winter, but also help with people's bills by being energy efficient.
I want us to think about what is the future of work with AI, with automation, and with factories closing down, I think there are jobs in terms of building the wind turbines, building the solar panels, building electric buses, building electric cars, installing the charging points. And that's why I think this is an opportunity.
And look, these fossil fuels we've used to our benefit individually and as societies for 200 years, but it's caused real damage to the environment. There are alternatives now, whether it's solar, whether it's nuclear, whether it's wind, we should be investing in those. I come from New York.
We're hearing an awful lot about London. It's being caricatured and stereotyped in the context of this mayoral race by the president, by one of the candidates for mayor as well. It's being portrayed as a place that's out of control, a lot of crime. There's a heavy amount of Islamophobia in there as well.
What's your response to that, the way that London is being used as sort of something held up in the New York mayoral campaign?
Well, first, I've got lots of friends who are in New York, and I think New York is the second greatest city in the world. There's a reason... why there are some people who hate London and hate New York. There's a reason why they demonize London and now indeed New York. Why? Because we are progressive cities, we are liberal cities, we are multicultural cities, and we're incredibly successful.
We are the antithesis of nativists, populists, commentators, and politicians. And I think, listen,
the fact that in new york you may elect somebody who's a muslim is neither here nor there it's what are his policies what are his vision what does he want to do for the people of uh new york and i think listen it says more about the people criticizing uh you know zohran mamdani's ethnicity and and faith says more about them and you know what they're all about than it says about him
You spoke with him after the Democratic primary, and I wonder if you could kind of characterize what that conversation was like. You say it's neither here nor there that he could be the first Muslim mayor of New York, and I'll go with your hierarchy, London and New York, these two major cities. What did you tell him about what that is like? You were the first Muslim mayor of London.
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Chapter 4: What are the expectations for outcomes from COP30?
And how much do you think about the role of London on the global stage?
Well, the reality is when you are... from a global city, when you are a leader of that global city, your audience really importantly are your constituents, but also it's the globe because the world's eyes are on London, the world's eyes indeed are on New York. That is a huge privilege, but it comes with a huge responsibility. So I've never campaigned to be a Muslim mayor.
I don't use those sort of words. I'm a mayor who happens to be Muslim, but I recognize and this is just a fact of life, there are some people who may not have been a Muslim. There are some people who only see things in movies or when they hear from presidents. And I want to address some of the fears people have sometimes because I am a Muslim.
I recognize sometimes people prejudge what it means to be a Muslim. So not by choice, but almost by duty, I sometimes use my role to explain. We aren't the boogeyman. we are just like you. We've got the same ambitions and aspirations as you.
I never asked for that responsibility, but I recognize as the leader of a great city, as a proud Brit, a proud Englishman, a proud Londoner, but also a proud Muslim, I'm more than happy to talk about my faith and what it means.
And I'm sure you'll see if Zohran Mamdani does win, Mamdani doing the same, not because he necessarily wants to, but because he recognizes that our religion has been demonized I think we both would recognize that actually a small minority of people who claim to follow our religion have done some bad stuff. That doesn't represent the more than two billion people on this planet who are Muslims.
Last question kind of playing off of this, in New York in this campaign there's a lot of warning from a lot of wealthier New Yorkers saying that people will leave the city were he to win, if the city were to get too progressive as they see it.
We had Nigel Farage issuing the same warning in London today, that there's a chance that people who are of means in London might elect to lead if we go farther to the left there. Your response to that warning or that proposed trend?
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Chapter 5: How do urban leaders address climate emergencies?
Well, firstly, I've got no idea whether that is the case, whether that will happen. If that is the case, come to London. I'm going to roll up the red carpet and welcome you to London. I think the reality is that New York's a great city. I hope New York continues to flourish and thrive. Of course, like London, we have challenges.
But the joy of being the mayor is you work with everyone across your city. I campaigned to be a mayor for all Londoners. Yes, I campaigned for those who live in deprived communities, those who desperately need social housing, those who are facing the consequences of a cost of living crisis, but also recognising that I, as a politician, don't create the wealth.
I don't create the jobs, but working with the private sector, working with all Londoners, you can do a great job.
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