There's no stopping Makati Mayor Abby Binay from championing urgent climate action.

She traveled halfway around the world to participate in the Daring Cities 2022 conference in Bonn, Germany, from October 3 to 7. There, she promoted innovative financing to fellow urban decision-makers and thought leaders to expand their climate action plans.

Mayor Abby highlighted Makati's renewed efforts to become a more sustainable city. By implementing innovative financing strategies, the city has reduced its carbon footprint while also increasing its resilience to the effects of climate change.

"I learned three financing instruments in my recent trip to Germany: the city gap fund, the green cities program, and the local climate adaptive living facility. Applying these would boost Makati City's access to grants, loans, and funding opportunities. This will take Makati's climate action plan further and make it more resilient," the mayor said.

According to Mayor Abby, the city gap fund provides technical assistance and capacity building to support climate-smart planning. The other is the green cities program which aims to build a better and more sustainable future for cities and residents. This program has three central components: a green city action plan, sustainable infrastructure investment, and capacity building.

The local climate adaptive living facility, hosted by the UN Capital Development Fund, serves as a mechanism to integrate climate change adaptation into local government's planning and budgeting systems.

Mayor Abby quickly added: "We are doing this in Makati. Every time we budget, we incorporate climate change actions, even in the most basic budgeting programs. We make sure that all our investments are climate smart."

Without financial support, the city's climate action efforts will have no leg to stand on.

"We have a lot of public-private partnerships (PPP) in the city. I think it's like honey. When you attract one bee, several bees start coming. PPPs or whatever grants, as long as they know it is sustainable, will make little money, whether breakeven or profit. Transparency and good governance are essential. They know that the city has a long-term vision and a long-term plan, and there will be continuity. I'm not going to invest or finance your project if I feel you're a bit shady or you're just going to run off with my money. If there's corruption in your city, they will not invest in your city. So good governance and transparency are part of the environment necessary to get good financing," the mayor explained.

With her steadfast commitment to tackling climate change, it's no surprise that Mayor Abby is one of the leading voices in promoting sustainable urban development globally.

Her participation in Daring Cities 2022 proves that she's more than ready to take on the challenge of urgently implementing Makati's climate action plans.

Mayor Abby is ICLEI Southeast Asia's Representative to the ICLEI Global Executive Committee. She also chairs the ICLEI Innovative Financing portfolio and serves as a Regional Executive Committee Member.

In August this year, Makati City officially declared a climate emergency and acknowledged the need for concerted, multi-level, and multi-stakeholder climate action to address global warming.

To address the impact of climate change, the city came up with long-term goals that require the collaboration and cooperation of both the public and private sectors.

Makati recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to develop an electric bus-based smart public transportation system in the metropolis. The Makati subway system will help reduce traffic and improve air quality by reducing carbon emissions. The government also plans to buy electric vehicles for its various departments and operations.

Mayor Abby is also pushing forward with plans to put solar panels in public schools and government buildings to save money on energy and ensure that there is enough power during emergencies.

Makati is the first local government in the world to join the Cities Race to Resilience. Since 2017, it has continually invested in disaster preparedness by providing disaster gear and emergency bags and hard helmets to its citizens.

Various regulations, such as those regulating waste management and construction, are in place to reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions. The city also implements bans on plastic waste and smoking, as well as an anti-smoke belching policy.

"I am proud of what Makati has achieved regarding sustainability and climate action. We have demonstrated that even small cities can make a big difference, and I am committed to continuing this work in the future. The lessons learned at Daring Cities 2022 and the relationships I have built with other global leaders in climate action will be invaluable as we work towards becoming a carbon-neutral city," Mayor Abby concluded.