Local leaders could be the driving force behind plans that help their areas to survive extreme weather.
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00:00The recent floods in Spain have led to intense scrutiny over the role of regional governments
00:05in managing climate change related disasters. And here, at COP29 in Azerbaijan, European
00:11regional leaders are asking for more investment in adaptation, because they are realizing that
00:17everything from the concrete infrastructure they have to their emergency management systems
00:22are just not ready for the future. Here's the president of the European Committee of the
00:26Regions, Vasco Cordeiro.
00:47Making investments in watercourse management is one of the kinds of proactive investments
00:53that can really pay off in the future, according to the president of the region of Bratislava,
00:58Juraj Droba.
00:59You really have to think very well how you spend the limited amount of money that you
01:04have. What paid off in my region was building small dams in the hills, which actually stream
01:13the little rivers in such a way that they didn't do more damage than they did. And I
01:18think this is something which doesn't cost you much. You can do it at the time of normal
01:23weather conditions, and then you are much better prepared.
01:27There are many voices clamoring for attention here at COP29. But mayors, city leaders, regional
01:34councillors say they need to be listened to, because when it comes to climate change, they're
01:38the ones on the front line. And when things go wrong, they're the ones facing the backlash,
01:43too. Jeremy Wilkes at COP29 in Azerbaijan for Euronews.