Energy Monitor’s Dave Keating (left) speaks with Rafał Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw, at the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

“On many counts cities are more progressive than their national governments – that is for sure the case of Poland,” Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski told Energy Monitor at the COP27 UN climate summit taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt this week. The national hard-right Polish government has been a champion of coal power and has vetoed EU climate action in the past. Trzaskowski is from the centre-right Civic Platform party of former European Council President Donald Tusk.

“This should be the last COP without the cities sitting at the negotiating table, because we are responsible for implementing those measures,” he said. “In times where we have war in Ukraine, where we have the energy crisis, that is where we need to be ambitious.”

Might some national governments, such as his own, not be so happy about cities having more of a voice at these UN climate negotiations? It would, after dilute the national governments’ own power at the table. “Well, some governments are worried, but many of the governments that I talk to realise that they cannot do it without us,” he said.

Climate action beyond Warsaw at COP27:

Reporter Nour Ghantous and senior writer Dave Keating are reporting from COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on behalf of Energy Monitor and our parent company, GlobalData. They are providing the data-led analysis you have come to expect from Energy Monitor but also something new: video interviews with business leaders, policymakers and campaigners. We encourage you to return often to our Energy Monitor home page for updates from the conference. You can also sign up for our free biweekly newsletter here.

Other recent COP27 coverage includes:

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The interwoven fortunes of carbon markets and indigenous communities, by Oliver Gordon (16 November)

COP27: Deep geothermal “superhot rock energy” could be key to climate action, by Dave Keating (16 November)

COP27: “Energy efficiency should not be neglected” – Danfoss, by Nour Ghantous (15 November)

One year on, is coal being consigned to history?, by Dave Keating (15 November)

COP27: Cities are essential in the climate fight, says former Lord Mayor of Dublin, by Dave Keating (14 November)

Opinion: Why climate action will fail without more women at the table, by Philippa Nuttall (14 November)

COP27: “Green hydrogen is one of the bright spots of this COP” – Jonas Moberg, CEO of GH2, by Nour Ghantous (14 November)

COP27: Ukraine energy company DTEK maintains net-zero goal, by Nour Ghantous (14 November)

Opinion: COP27 comes after a year of unfulfilled COP26 promises, by Nick Ferris (11 November)

COP27: Data science can strengthen climate action, by Nour Ghantous (11 November)

COP27: Alpine Group proffers recycled textiles to combat climate, by Nour Ghantous (10 November)

Why the financial odds are stacked against developing countries, by Isabeau van Halm and Polly Bindman (9 November)

COP27: International Labour Organization wants to see a just transition “actually implemented”, by Nour Ghantous (9 November)

COP27 take note: Climate tech funding has soared in 2022, by Eric Johansson (9 November)

COP27: How countries compare on carbon emissions and pledges, by Nick Ferris (7 November)

COP27: Mattie Yeta, CGI’s chief sustainability officer, on the first-ever ‘metaverse COP’, by Nour Ghantous (7 November)

Which countries are already at net zero?, by Nick Ferris (25 October)

COP27: Manage your expectations, by Nour Ghantous (21 September)