By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 2, 2006; A03
Twenty-two of the world's largest cities announced yesterday that they will work together to limit their contributions to global warming in an effort led by former president Bill Clinton.
The Clinton Climate Initiative -- which will create an international consortium to bargain for cheaper energy-efficient products and share ideas on cutting greenhouse gas pollution -- includes Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York as well as Cairo, Delhi, London and Mexico City. While the group is not setting specific targets for reducing emissions, Clinton said he is confident the effort will both cut pollution and create jobs in the cities that contribute most to higher temperatures.
"It no longer makes sense for us to debate whether or not the Earth is warming at an alarming rate, and it doesn't make sense for us to sit back and wait for others to act," Clinton said, speaking at a Los Angeles news conference with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) and London and San Francisco city leaders. "The fate of the planet that our children and grandchildren will inherit is in our hands, and it is our responsibility to do something about this crisis."
The endeavor comes on the heels of Monday's announcement by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) that he will work with British Prime Minister Tony Blair to trade carbon dioxide emissions and share clean-energy technology.
It is unclear how much Clinton's initiative can achieve in the absence of broader mandatory limits on greenhouse gases. The 40 cities he is targeting account for 15 to 20 percent of the world's emissions, according to Clinton aide Ira Magaziner. City officials can cut their governments' energy use and govern local building codes and land use, but they do not regulate the automobiles or power plants that account for much of a city's carbon dioxide emissions.
Climate experts said the effort could help but by itself it will not achieve the major reductions needed to curb global warming. Drew Shindell, an atmospheric physicist at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said emissions must be cut in half by mid-century to keep Earth's temperature from reaching dangerous levels. "They can make progress, but it will be quite limited, I would think," Shindell said.
But London Mayor Ken Livingstone -- who spoke at the news conference and whose city charges a daily fee to drive cars downtown during peak traffic times -- said cities are already "at the center of developing the technologies and innovative new practices that provide hope that we can radically reduce carbon emissions."
The Clinton Foundation will focus on providing technical assistance and bargaining power to the participating cities, all with area populations of 3 million or more, employing the same model it has used to lower the price of AIDS medicine for poorer countries.
In a telephone interview Monday, Clinton -- who was criticized by some environmentalists for not moving aggressively enough as president to curb greenhouse gases -- said he cared about climate change before but feels "a greater sense of urgency" about the problem now in light of the mounting scientific evidence.
"The thing that's different is the combination of a new sense of urgency about the problem and a sense of optimism that dealing with the problem can produce economic prosperity," he said.
President Bush has promoted voluntary measures to curb greenhouse gases, such as promoting cleaner technologies, but has consistently opposed mandatory targets.
"The administration welcomes and encourages all levels of government to find ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions," Kristen Hellmer of the White House Council on Environmental Quality said of Clinton's initiative.
The Clinton Foundation plans to help major cities measure their emissions and track their reductions, as well as share information about energy-efficient building design and street lighting. Smaller cities such as Baltimore and the District cannot formally join the initiative, but they will be able to buy energy-efficient products at the same low negotiated prices as larger cities, which D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) said he would welcome.
c&p Toronto joins Clinton's climate change battleCBC News
Toronto is among 22 cities around the world joining former U.S. president Bill Clinton in the battle against climate change.
The Clinton Climate Initiative is aimed at increasing energy efficiency in everything from street lights to building materials and promoting clean-burning fuels and energy conservation.
The initiative brings together Clinton and his presidential foundation with the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group — an alliance of cities that have pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the aims of the group is to create a purchasing consortium to buy energy saving products. The group would also gather experts to help cities lower greenhouse gas emissions.
"This is a very, very serious problem, but also a phenomenal opportunity," Clinton said Tuesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he signed the pact.
Urban areas are responsible for over 75 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the world, according to the Clinton Foundation website.
The alliance cites a number of ways cities can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become more energy efficient. These include using:
More energy efficient traffic and street lights.
More energy efficient lighting, windows, heating and ventilation systems in buildings.
Cleaner electric generation systems.
Hybrid technologies for city buses, garbage trucks and other vehicles.
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