​EA members Cllr Andrew Cooper and Cllr Enda Stenson were part of the COR delegation, led by President Karl Heinz Lambertz, which took part in the 23rd Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC (COP23).

On 12 November CoR members participated in the Climate Summit of local and regional leaders where all parties, region and cities across the world, as well as international organisations  such as ICLEI and Climate Alliance to name a few, agreed  a final declaration which stipulates the establishment of Locally- and Regionally-determined contributions (LDCs) to help national governments achieve existing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) . Cllr Andrew Cooper, EA coordinator in the ENVE commission and member of Kirklees County Council, who took the initiative of setting up the concept of LDCs as a way to achieve the agreed target under the Paris agreement, called on UNFCC to continue work on its development.

"Establishing targets agreed at a local level could give us the boost we need to actually achieve the carbon reductions that need to happen to prevent runaway climate change. LDCs also give us the opportunity to make action on Climate Change more relevant to citizens as they see action at the local level led by their Local or Regional Authority", said Cllr Cooper.

A global system of LDCs is a huge opportunity for local and regional authorities all across the globe. For Mayors in the USA, for example, it provides a Framework to get involved in the delivery of the UNFCC targets. For smaller municipalities which are not engaged with bodies such as the Global Covenant of Mayors it gives an opportunity to contribute to the Paris goals.

On 13 November members took part in a conference on Transatlantic Dialogue on Climate Change with the US conference of Mayors and the Canadian municipalities. Members committed to champion the Covenant of Mayors initiative within and beyond the EU as a prime model of multi-level governance for climate objectives.